I Will Not Fight
by Gohan's Fury
Summary: A reoccurring nightmare has plagued Gohan since he defeated Cell. In his effort to escape the pain and the regret, he finally gives up everything. On his search for peace, the emotionally distant boy finds himself inexplicably drawn to Videl Satan, a nosy girl with problems of her own. Can she help him come to terms with his past, or will he lose even more?
1. Prologue: Nightmares

**This is a slightly different take on the normal Gohan x Videl story. I was partially inspired by "Love at First Sight?" by Decious. My story is drastically different in terms of plot, but this incredible story got me thinking of different approaches to these characters, particularly Gohan. A while later, I eventually came upon this idea and decided to stop merely reading fanfiction and finally write some.**

**I hope you enjoy! I would greatly appreciate it if you would take the time to review, ****whether you like it or hate it. ****It means a lot to me. **Don't be afraid to leave both positive and negative feedback-it helps me improve. Tell me what you like/dislike. It will make the end product better.

**Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or any of its characters**

* * *

Prologue: Nightmares

Son Gohan tore from his bed in the hyperbolic time chamber, screaming. Drenched in sweat, he rushed to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face, trying and failing to forget. He clenched the sides of the sink, his whole body trembling as horror and disgust overwhelmed him. He was quickly losing control.

Higher and higher his power climbed until the entire room began to shake with the force of his energy. For a while he immersed himself in its flow. There was a kind of immense pleasure whenever he exercised his power.

For a while, he toyed with the idea of giving himself over completely and surrendering to its alluring promises. He wouldn't have to hurt any more. He would be strong. He would be able to protect everyone most important to him from any enemy. He would be respected by those he loved. He would be feared by those he hated. He would be a god! All he had to do was let go, submit and let this vast power inside him fulfill his every desire.

It seemed so easy, so attractive, but … he just couldn't do it. The arrogance and obsession with his own power that had seized him that night ... it was just like his nightmare—the same one he had had for six years.

Revulsion seized Gohan.

_That's it! I can't take it anymore! _He silently screamed at himself as the memory of the dream washed over him.

_Gohan stood in the ruined remains of Cell Arena. Directly in front of him was Cell in his perfect form, smirking as his friends lay dying all around him. Pure rage coursed through Gohan's body, saturating his entire being until he could no longer contain it and he exploded into his Ascended Saiyan form._

_With his new power, he commenced to pound the now helpless Cell around. After a particularly devastating combination, he delivered a powerful kick to the creature's gut, causing him to spit up Android 17 and revert back to his second form._

_Gohan could easily destroy Cell right then and there. He could obliterate him in an instant without breaking a sweat. He wasn't even near using his full strength yet. But he wanted to revel in the pain of the one who had caused so much pain to others. The fear in Cell's eyes thrilled him. He was drunk on his power._

_Then, the scene shifted and the desperate Cell suddenly started to expand like a balloon, planning to blow himself up and the Earth along with him. Time seemed to slow down. He saw his father suddenly appear next to Cell, with two fingers on his forehead and a hand on the oversized Cell. Goku looked at Gohan one last time, then disappeared forever._

"_DADDY!" screamed Gohan, tears streaming down his face as he pounded his fists on the ground with grief._

Even as he relived his nightmare, Gohan had left the time chamber and was speeding towards Capsule Corp. as fast as he could without transforming. After six years, he had finally come to a breaking point. He needed to see Bulma.

After he had learned his father would not be brought back to life, Gohan was devastated. There was no way to undo his actions, but he vowed that he would never let anything like that happen again. So, he had thrown himself into his training, battling to control his power so that it would never master him like it had during the Cell Games.

Ignoring Chi-Chi's furious protests, Gohan had abandoned his studies entirely, spending almost every second of his time either eating, sleeping, or training.

Much of the time, especially in the first year, was spent working to maintain his Super Saiyan 2 state. Eventually, Gohan could maintain it almost effortlessly for days at a time, with virtually no energy lost. This increased his power tremendously, just as it had when he had done the same thing with his father when they were training to battle Cell. It also gave him great control.

He often left home entirely to train, sometimes in the gravity room that Bulma had made for him, sometimes in one of the deserted areas of the planet, and sometimes even on other planets. Whenever not in the gravity room, he wore weighted training gear (specially designed by Bulma) that weighed a total of 20 tons.

While his physical training progressed at a steady pace, Gohan saw his mental training as equally if not more important. He spent many afternoons with Piccolo. Gohan would use only a fraction of his power while his mentor attacked him with several times more, forcing Gohan to exploit his power to its fullest extent by using his intellect, ingenuity, and technical skill. At first, the matches only lasted a few minutes, but eventually, Gohan could hold off the Namekian for almost an hour and occasionally even won.

Throughout it all, Gohan meditated for at least 2 hours each day. He would even spend some days entirely in meditation, taking breaks only to eat.

Control. That's what he had been seeking for years. Control over his body. Control over his power. Control over his emotions. But however close he got, total control eluded Gohan's grasp.

And the dreams continued to haunt him. He could not go a week without experiencing the reoccurring nightmare at least once. As the years went by, Gohan grew stronger and stronger in his dreams, but the result was the same. The look on his father's face slowly changed from one of pride to one of disgust. Each sleepless night only drove him to train harder in a desperate attempt to find peace.

A few months ago, Gohan had begun to suspect that there was a level beyond an Ascended Saiyan. Driven by his Saiyan instincts, he immediately started his pursuit to reach it. Not wanting the others to sense any change, he set off for a far off planet. There he pushed himself harder than he ever had for three months and finally managed to transform for the first time into a Super Saiyan 3. The exponential increase in power was exhilarating. Despite himself, he was proud. No matter how much he tried to suppress it, the Saiyan in Gohan reveled in his power. He loved how it felt to let loose, but also derived great satisfaction from being able to use it with perfect precision and control.

He hated himself for it.

Gohan then returned to Earth and went into the hyperbolic time chamber. He still had one day left that he could stay in the chamber—one year of training. In the time chamber, no one could sense his energy, so it was the perfect place to perfect his third transformation. It had taken him almost the full year, but he had done it. It wasn't as comfortable as his second form, but Gohan could maintain the state for several hours with relative ease.

But, despite all his training, Gohan's dreams were getting worse and more frequent. That night had been the last straw. Gohan had decided to try a different tactic—one that would require Bulma's help. That was why he was flying towards her house at full speed.

About halfway there, Gohan stopped suddenly and thought for a moment, then headed off in the direction of his own house. He would go to Capsule Corp later.

It took about 10 minutes to get to his house in the 439 mountain area. He could just make out shape of the house when something collided with him from the side.

"Gohan!" shouted Goten loudly clinging to his older brother. His grip, while superhumanly strong, barely fazed Gohan.

"Goten, it's good to see you again. It's been a while. How are you and Mom?" Gohan replied calmly, his usually stoic face softening a bit. Even during his training, whenever he was home, Gohan tried to spend some time with his little brother. He would turn whatever game that they played into a training exercise.

"Mom's good. I'm so happy you're home, will you play with me?" Goten shot off in his usual rapid-fire, obnoxious manner.

"Sure, squirt. Let's just let mom know I'm home."

They spent the next few hours playing. They played hide-and-seek, chased each other around, swam, and, of course, sparred. Gohan did his best to make this day the best ever for his little brother. It had been too long since they had last played together … and he didn't know when or if he would be able to play with him again.

When their stomachs started to growl, they headed back for dinner. The mouth-watering aroma of Chi-Chi's famous cooking met them as they opened the door. Ordinarily, Gohan would have been dealt swift punishment with a frying pan to the head for being gone so long, but years of Gohan's rebellion had taken its toll on Chi-Chi. She knew that she could not change her eldest son's mind about his studies, so she had long ago decided to take a gentle, subtler approach and hope for the best. It was against her nature, but she tried.

The table was piled high with enough food to serve at least 40 ordinary people.

"The food looks and smells delicious like usual, mom" Gohan told his mother. She went to hug her son.

"Thank you, son. I'm so happy to see you. I wish you would at least let us know how long you're going to be gone. I worry about you."

"I know mom, I'm sorry. Let's eat."

With that, the food began to fly from the table into the mouths of the two half-blood Saiyans. Within minutes, the enormous feast was finished. Luckily, Chi-Chi had served herself up first, or she wouldn't have gotten anything.

After dinner, Gohan leaned back in his chair and asked, "Mom, can I talk to you for a minute…alone?"

A look of shock and worry instantly crossed Chi-Chi's face.

"Of course, sweetie. Goten, why don't you go outside and play for a while?"

"Okay, mom!" Goten shot out of the room with his usual youthful energy.

When he was gone—Gohan was tracking him with his senses to make sure he really left—Chi-Chi immediately asked, "Is anything wrong, honey?"

"Nothing's wrong, mom. It's just…I have some news and I'm not sure how you're going to take it." He waited for a few seconds, seeing the dark look that came over his mother. He took a deep breath and continued, "I'm moving to the city."

"Whaaat!" The old Chi-Chi was back with a vengeance. "How dare you leave me and your brother alone, you overgrown muscle head! Don't you love us?!"

The frying pan came down, but never made contact. Gohan had easily blocked the blow, and was holding Chi-Chi's arm. His mother looked into his pained eyes for a few seconds before dropping the pan and breaking into tears.

"Oh, Gohan, why is my baby leaving me? All I ever wanted was for you to be a scholar. You already gave up all your studies, and now you want to move out? What did I ever do wrong?"

Gohan remained calm. He was used to her violent mood swings.

"Mom, let me explain." He waited for her sobs to quiet down. "The nightmares still haven't stopped…"

Chi-Chi immediately understood. "Gohan…" she whispered, cupping the cheek of her baby boy with concern.

"Nothing I've done has worked." Gohan's voice was strained. "I am giving up fighting and training. You should be happy. I'm going to move to Satan City and start my studies again. Your son will be a scholar." His lips curled into a bittersweet smile. "We can still see each other sometimes if you visit, but I don't want to be around the other Z Fighters or this house anymore. That will only make it harder and bring up painful memories."

For the next half-hour, Gohan gathered up his clothes and miscellaneous belongings. Chi-Chi merely watched with tears in her eyes. When he had finished, he turned to his mother.

"Goodbye, mom. We'll see each other again. I promise. Tell Goten that I said goodbye and that I'll miss him. I love you." And with that, he took off.

When he arrived at Capsule Corp, the sky was rapidly darkening. He entered the enormous building, not stopping to take in the scenery. He sensed Bulma's ki in one of her special labs where all the non-commercial—AKA Saiyan related—inventions were created.

The door to the lab slid shut behind him. Bulma turned, slightly shocked to see Gohan after so long. Gohan didn't give her a chance to speak.

"Did you finish it?"

She looked at him intently for several seconds. Finally, she sighed. "It took me a while, but I finally got all the kinks out. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, I am sure."

"Alright, then. Head to the medical wing. I'll meet you there." Bulma turned away, digging through one of her drawers to find something.

Ten minutes later, Gohan saw Bulma approaching him with a small spherical device in her hands. It was about the size of a golf ball and had a dozen or so thin, short prongs extending in various directions.

She led him to a room two doors down on the right and pointed to the surgical bed in the middle of the room. Gohan lay down while Bulma rummaged around the room as she made her preparations.

"Hold your arm out," she instructed. With quick precision, she slid the needle into his wrist and started the anesthesia. "See you in a few hours, Gohan. Just relax."

Gohan's eyes looked back at the blue-haired scientist as his eyes began to droop. He thought back to the many days they had spent discussing Capsule Corps many inventions. The two, united by their intellects, had become close friends over the years. Things had changed, though, when he had made this request a year ago. A back up plan …

His eyes slowly slid shut.


	2. New Beginnings

**I'm back! Thank you all for reading the first chapter of my first fan fic. I was really encouraged by all of you who reviewed it, so mad props to you! Also, thanks to those of you who pointed out that Cell spit out Android 18, not 17. If you look back, you'll see that I have fixed that little mix up.**

**I few side notes. I'm going to try to keep the chapters at around 2,000 words (excluding these author notes). There might be a chapter or two that are shorter, but hopefully more are longer. No promises. It just depends on the flow and how things break up. As always, let me know what you think. I must confess that I am not a Dragon Ball Z trivia guru, so I might get a few facts wrong or just screw up something I actually do know. I've made an effort to get the details right, but I'm human. I appreciate any corrections.**

**Finally, as you can imagine, Gohan is meant to be a little different in this story than normal. I've tried my best to portray that, but sometimes it's hard to get the happy go-lucky personality (that I do enjoy) out of my head. Let me know of any slips where you think he breaks out of character.**

**Thanks, and enjoy!**

* * *

-One Year Later-

"Everyone, we have a new student at Orange Star High School. He got the best score on his entrance exam in school history."

In walked a boy with ebony hair that stuck up in a truly outrageous hairstyle. He was wearing red pants and a loose white shirt with the school logo pinned to the chest. At his waist was a book bag.

"Introduce yourself, then take any available seat," said the instructor.

"Hello. My name is Son Gohan." The boy's voice was friendly enough, yet he seemed very distant. He headed towards the only empty seat next to girl with short blonde hair.

As the lesson began, the girl leaned close to him.

"Gohan…that's a strange name," she giggled, "My name's Erasa, by the way. You're pretty cute." His outgoing seatmate was leaning a little too close for Gohan. Soon, they were shoulder-to-shoulder, with Erasa's hand on Gohan's forearm.

"Ah, don't waste your time on nerd-boy, Erasa," a muscular boy with long blonde hair interjected from the seat behind Gohan.

The energetic Erasa continued as if he had never said anything, "That's Sharpner, and this is Videl," she indicated the girl with black hair tied into two pigtails. "She's the daughter of the great Hercule Satan."

Videl was examining Gohan carefully, clearly waiting to see his reaction.

"Well, hello Erasa. Thank you for the compliment, but could you give me a little space? I'm feeling a little cramped. It's nice to meet you, and you too, Sharpner. You are right if by nerd, you mean I take my studies seriously." He turned to Videl. "Hi, Videl. Mr. Satan's your father, huh, you must have lived a very interesting life. It's nice to meet you as well. I'd be happy to talk with you guys later, but I want to pay attention to the lesson right now. Maybe at lunch."

Gohan kindly extricated himself from Erasa's grasp and turned to the teacher, leaving everyone confused.

_What a nerd,_ thought Sharpner.

Videl was extremely puzzled. _He's so weird. He responded to everything in order and doesn't seem flustered at all by Sharpner's insults or Erasa's flirting. And, it's like my father's fame doesn't even faze him._ She kind of liked that he treated her like a normal person, but it was very strange. She didn't understand this new kid, and _that_, she definitely did not like.

_I _will _figure you out, Son Gohan_.

Unfortunately, she did not have much of a chance until lunch. Gohan was adamant on focusing his complete attention on the classes. Not even her death glare had any effect. All she got out of him was that he was homeschooled before he came to Orange Star. Luckily, Erasa invited Gohan to eat lunch with them. Videl used the time to interrogate the suspect…er, ask her classmate some questions.

"So Gohan, why'd you decide to come to school here?"

"Well, it's easier to get a scholarship coming from a real high school. Plus, I thought I should get to know some other kids my age," Gohan answered matter-of-factly. He sat cross-legged and set to eating his rather large lunch.

"You sure eat a lot bookworm," Sharpner put in, "How are you still so thin? You can't get much exercise with all the studying you do."

Gohan looked up and thought for a moment as he finished chewing.

"A fast metabolism," he stated simply, then went back to his food. He finished his huge sandwich within a minute and polished off everything else in another. The others could only look on in shock. When he finished, Gohan leaned back and put his hands behind his head.

"So, what about you guys? What do you guys do outside of school?"

Erasa exploded, "Shopping, of course! Oh, Gohan, you _need_ to come with us to the mall after school today. It'll be so much fun. We can get you a whole new wardrobe. What you're wearing now is fine, but you would look so good in…"

Videl interrupted, "Ugh…Erasa, how about we do something else for a change. I don't think I can take another afternoon of you dragging us from store to store for hours on end."

"Oh, Videl, you're such a party pooper. It's _fun_."

"For you, maybe." Videl rolled her eyes.

"Heh, heh," Gohan chuckled softly. "I'm sorry Erasa, but I think I'll pass. I'm going to spend the afternoon at home."

"Let me guess, brains. Studying." Sharpner was quick to butt in.

"More or less."

"Where do you live, Gohan?" Videl blurted out. She was not done with him yet. The minute she said this, though, Erasa and Sharpner looked at her strangely, making her blush as she realized what it sounded like. "I mean…uh"

Gohan laughed. It was the greatest display of emotion they had seen from him yet.

"It's fine. I live in a small studio apartment a couple of miles from here."

"A studio? What about your parents?"

"My mom lives in the 439 mountain area with my little brother. That's too far away for me to get to school, so I got an apartment in the city."

Gohan had stood up as he said this. Before anyone could say anything else, he was gone.

_What about his dad?_ Videl wondered.

* * *

Gym was the last class of the day. The coach was assigning the teams. Videl grunted when Gohan was assigned to her team. Clearly, no one wanted to be stuck with the 'nerd-boy.

"Here, Gohan," she told him, tossing him a mitt, "Go take right field. You know where that is?"

"Yes. On the right," Goha replied and took his position. Videl was slightly embarrassed at her stupid question, but ignored it.

Luckily, at least in Videl's mind, the ball never came to Gohan that inning. As they went up to bat, however, she realized that she would have to let him go up sometime. So, she chose to rip the bandage of quickly, and sent him up first.

Sharpner was pitching. _Alright, book nerd. Let's see you duck like a sissy_. He aimed right at Gohan's head.

Gohan merely jerked back slightly as the ball whizzed through the space his head had just been.

"If you want to win," he shouted to Sharpner, "I suggest you aim in the strike zone."

Sharpner's eyes bulged. "I'll show you," he muttered and threw his fastest pitch right down the middle.

Gohan hit it solidly. The ball flew into the stands and he started to round the bases. Videl and Sharpner were floored. How could hit the ball so far? Nerds weren't supposed to be athletic, or strong. As he came into home, he still looked completely calm, as if his homerun had not been special at all.

"Did I surprise you, Videl?" his voice was soft and even. He walked off without waiting for her answer.

* * *

After school, Gohan left immediately. He was on foot, and Videl decided to follow him and see what he really was up to after school. She stayed well behind, trying to use other buildings as cover, while still keeping the mysterious boy just within view. He finally stopped at a run-of-the mill apartment building after about half an hour, and disappeared inside.

Videl whipped out her cell phone and called the police chief, "What information do you have on a Son Gohan?"

"Hmm, hold on a sec." There was a pause. "Here we go. Son Gohan. Lives in the 439 mountain area. Oh, wait. He's dead. Ah, another Son Gohan. Not much on him. Lives in the Satan Apartment Building, number 102. No criminal record."

"I see. Thanks for allaying my suspicions, chief. Have a good day." She hung up.

So, there was another Gohan Son who lived in the exact place that this Gohan's family lives. There must be a connection. Son Gohan…Son, the name sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it. Gohan even looked familiar. It was driving Videl crazy that she couldn't remember, and she didn't even know why she cared so much. She decided that she'd gotten what she could for today, and Erasa was expecting her at the mall.

After a torturous session of shopping, Videl went back to her house to do research. Dad was gone, as usual, so she went straight up to her room. She typed in 'Son Gohan,' but nothing interesting came up. Then '439 mountain area.' Lots of stuff about the geography, flora and fauna, etc. but nothing useful. Unfortunately, that was all she really knew, so she gave up for the night. She needed to get more information from Gohan.

* * *

Gohan sat on the floor of his apartment with his legs crossed. He had already finished his homework and studied on his own for several hours. After a small (by Saiyan standards) dinner, he stopped to meditate and reflect on his day for a bit.

_The ki suppressor works like a charm_, he thought. Bulma had planted the spherical device in his chest that effectively cut his power to that of a very strong human. It was pleasing to see the results. He had put a significant amount of his power into that hit, and while his home run was quite spectacular to his classmates, it was well within human capabilities.

Gohan thought back to that night, a year ago.

_Bulma finished the operation and waited for Gohan to wake up. Once he did, a sensu bean fixed him up in short order. Gohan, with his Saiyan genes, soon recovered from the anesthesia and was very alert._

"_Okay, Gohan. The ki suppressor is in place. This…" she held a small metal box in her hand. "Is the remote. Once we get the setting you want, I will lock this up in my personal vault underneath Capsule Corp. In addition, there's a code required to confirm any change. I will be the only one with the code or access to the vault, so it's completely safe. If you ever change your mind or want to change the setting, just drop by and let me know._

_Gohan nodded._

"_Good," Bulma continued, "Now, tell me how low you want to go."_

"_Somewhere within normal human abilities, not including Krillen and the other guys."_

"_Hmmm, how about I put you a little bit over the 'Savior of the World?' That way, you can easily pass as a normal human, but you'll still be strong enough to hold your own if you're ever in a tricky situation."_

"_That sounds fine. Will I be able to fly or sense energy?"_

"_Yes, you will retain all your abilities, but they will be significantly weaker. You won't be able to fly as far or as fast. But sensing ki takes very little energy, so that should not be affected too much."_

"_Okay. Thank you, Bulma."_

_Bulma sighed. "I still don't get why you're doing this, kid."_

"_Bulma, I already told you."_

"_Yeah, that doesn't mean I get it. There are other ways to get rid of nightmares, Gohan."_

_Gohan hesitated as the memories swept through his mind. "Not these ones," was his quiet response._

"_Yeah? I'm not so sure." Bulma's voice softened as she finally relented. After all knowing him all these years, she really cared for the boy.__ "But I'm here for you, Gohan. I hope this works, for your sake."_

A lot had happened since then. Gohan took a year to catch up on his studies. After six years, a lot of it was fuzzy, but he attacked it just as he had attacked his training. What time he didn't spend studying, he worked at Capsule Corp. He wouldn't take handouts from Bulma, with the exception of one of their fastest planes, so he could get to West City from his apartment quickly. He would never have been able to afford one of those within any reasonable time.

The nightmares did not disappear overnight. However, over the course of the last year, they had become much less frequent. Sometimes, he went for an entire month before again waking up screaming in the middle of the night. That reinforced his decision. He reasoned that eventually, the nightmares would stop forever.

His decision to go to high school once he was 18—not counting those years in the hyperbolic time chamber, of course—was largely due to his mother. She had always talked about him going to high school for the last year. Gohan figured she would be happy when she found out.

The first day had been unusual, to say the least. He wondered if all normal teenagers were as strange as the ones he had met. Erasa was so…bubbly and effervescent, with no sense of personal space. Sharpner was, well, Sharpner. And Videl. She never seemed to stop glaring at him like he was some sort of criminal. Then, she followed him home. Was that supposed to be normal?

Gohan let his mind relax as he started his meditation. This was one aspect of his training that he had not given up. While he no longer needed to focus on controlling his power, his mind and his emotions were another matter.


	3. Tea for Two

**Thanks again for all your support. It's been really encouraging. I hope you like this chapter. It should start to pick up a little from here on as Gohan and Videl start to have more interaction and the characters start to develop. In theory, anyway. As always, make sure to review. I welcome all suggestions, even if you're just pointing out a typo that I missed. Feel free to ask questions as well. What I would most appreciate, however, is comments on writing style and how you think I can improve. That is really going to be my focus as I move on in the story.**

* * *

The next day, as Gohan was walking to school, he heard shouting and screaming a few blocks away. He quickly ran to see what was the matter. He came to a stop before Satan Bank, which was surrounded by police cars. He was stunned to see Videl fighting a group of bank robbers. Gohan stood amazed as Videl jumped up and planted a double footed kick to the chest of one of the men, then backflipped off of him to give a strong knee to the back of the man behind her. She twirled around to come face to face with the last of the criminals, who was holding a pistol to her face.

He didn't get the chance to fire before Videl swiftly used her right hand to knock the weapon out of his hands. Before the man could react, she twisted his arm over and swept his legs out from under him. He landed with a thud on the pavement. The police came over and cuffed the men she had just defeated.

Gohan walked away, slightly stunned to see one of his classmates fighting criminals. But, given what he had seen from Videl at school, it wasn't all that surprising. The suspicious looks, prodding questions, and stalking, for lack of a better word, all fit perfectly with this new discovery.

_Interesting_, he thought, _How does the daughter of the most famous person on Earth get involved with crime-fighting? What an odd girl._

Gohan got to his first class right on time. Ten minutes later, Videl walked in, immediately apologizing for her tardiness.

"No need, Miss Satan, we are well aware of the importance of your work with the police. Go ahead and take your seat."

Gohan did not bring up the subject until lunch with her, Erasa, and Sharpner.

"So, what kind of work do you do for the police, Videl?" he asked plainly after he had finished his food.

"I stop all the criminals that they are having a hard time with. I'm like their clutch hitter."

"That must be dangerous."

"I can take care of myself," she huffed, "Being the daughter of the Champ has its advantages. I've been studying martial arts since I was seven."

"That's right," Sharpner interjected, "My babe's the strongest person alive, except of course Mr. Satan."

Videl jabbed him sharply in the gut. "I'm not your babe."

Gohan continued on as if nothing had happened, "It shows."

"What?" Videl's turned and glared at him—her 'What are you talking about' glare, not her 'I'm going to kill you unless to do what I say' glare.

"You did a very good job with those bank robbers this morning." Videl's mouth rounded into a surprised 'o.' Gohan stood up to take his leave. "But I have a question. What happens when you don't see the gun in time?"

Videl was left speechless.

* * *

Gohan again performed well in gym. He caught a couple pop flies and even made a double play. Batting, he managed to get another home run as well as several doubles and triples. And of course, he never struck out.

Throughout the entire game, Videl had one question in her mind.

_Who are you Son Gohan_?

That afternoon, she again followed him to his apartment, taking care to stay out of sight. It was Apartment 102, so it had to be on the first floor. A few minutes after Gohan entered, Videl saw movement in one of the windows.

_That must be him._

Unfortunately, she couldn't get close enough to see clearly without the possibility of Gohan noticing her. She could not afford that, so she returned home, planning to bring binoculars the next day.

Inside, Gohan followed his daily ritual. He did his homework and studied extra material. He ate dinner, which was substantially smaller than a normal Saiyan dinner. His appetite had decreased once he stopped his training, but he could still eat a hearty meal better fit for four people. Finally, he settled in for a night of meditation before finally hitting the hay.

* * *

School fell into a predictable routine for the rest of the week. Gohan, Videl, Erasa, and Sharpner ate lunch under the same tree every day. They soon got used to the unusual amount of food that they ate. While they were eating, his friends asked him some questions about himself, which he would try to answer as best he could without revealing something important. But it seemed to them like he would never answer anything the way one would expect.

On the fourth day of school, Sharpner asked, "So where'd you learn to play baseball so good? It doesn't seem like something someone like you would be good at."

"Someone like me?" Gohan questioned, a wry smile on his face.

"Yeah, you know, a book nerd."

"I see," Gohan chuckled lightly and looked away. With this eyes staring into space, he droned, "I can see why you would think of me like that. You want to put me in a category. Make me simple. But you're forgetting two things. First, people are not simple. They don't always fit in neat boxes. Second, people can change and they often do. You do not know everything about who I am, Sharpner, and you don't know who I have been."

Done with his impromptu lecture, Gohan looked back at Sharpner and smiled slightly. "To answer your question, an old friend of my father taught me to play baseball."

Everyone was a little off-put by the sudden change in mood. Videl had listened intently and filed the conversation in her mental 'figure out Gohan' list. He clearly had many secrets—a fact which she hated. As far as she was concerned, anyone with that many secrets could not be trusted. She would tolerate him for now, but that was it.

Gohan continued to excel in baseball—he was now the most desirable player with the exception of Videl, who was helped considerably by being famous. Videl followed him home every afternoon and set to watching through his window with a pair of binoculars. She would come by once in a while at different times of the day. She, of course, thought Gohan had no idea, and she might have been right, if not for the fact that he could sense her energy.

She didn't see much. Though she had a great view into the apartment, all she saw was Gohan at his desk, studying. He occasionally got up to get a snack, or went to the bathroom, but he gave no indication that he did anything else after school than what he had said. As far as she could tell, he never left the apartment except to go to school. By the end of the week, Videl was less than convinced she would find anything about Gohan this way.

On Friday, though, things would change. Videl was stationed in her usual spot across the street, watching as Gohan approached his building as usual. As he stood in front of the door, however, she heard the words that would change things forever.

"Would you like to come in?"

He didn't even turn around. For a second, Videl questioned whether he had even said it, but then he said her name in his characteristically mellow voice.

"Videl, would you like to come in?"

Stunned, she didn't know what to do, so she simply started towards the building. Just as she reached the other side of the street, Gohan slipped through the door. Videl had to hurry to catch up to him. She just saw him entering his apartment, leaving the door open for her. Inside, Gohan was in the kitchen.

"Would you like some tea?" he asked.

"Uh, sure," she relied tentatively, examining the room.

The place was small. A kitchen with the basics was in front of her, with a table that functioned both as a make-shift island for the kitchen and a dining room table. To the left of the kitchen were two doors, which she assumed led to a bathroom and his bedroom. The desk she had seen him at was to her right, and there was a couch underneath her peephole window. There was no television. Nor was there any sign of pictures of family and friends, at least that she could see.

"Take a seat. The couch is fine," Gohan interrupted her silent inspection.

Doing as she was told, Videl looked to see Gohan approaching with two steaming mugs. He handed one to her, then settled onto the opposite end of the sofa.

"Careful, it's pretty hot," Gohan warned, but didn't seem to heed his own warning, immediately taking a sip of the scalding liquid. "Well?"

"I-er-I…I don't," Videl couldn't seem to find her words, something which rarely happened. "How long have you known?" What she was referring to was obvious.

"Since the first day," came the plain reply.

"But that's impossible! I was so careful…" She paused. "Wait, you're not mad?

Gohan smiled gently, "What would that accomplish? Anger only serves to blind you. While it can spur you on and give strength to your body, it clouds your mind and…" Gohan trailed off as he lost himself in painful recollections. He took another sip of tea and redirected his attention toward Videl. "What's done is done. I understand your suspicious nature—your fame and your work with the police require it of you. However, I do suggest you try a more direct approach. We are here. What would you like to know?"

Videl was gaining confidence. "Alright, then. If you want me to be blunt…I want to know everything! Who are you now, and who have you been?"

Gohan was genuinely surprised. "Ah, you _have_ been paying attention. Unfortunately, we don't have time for me to tell you everything. Besides," he reminded her, "as you undoubtedly have noticed, there are things that I wish to keep hidden. I have secrets that affect people beyond just myself, and memories that I do not want to relive. I'm sorry if that bothers you, but that's just the way it is."

Videl scowled, looking daggers at the secretive character that had come into her life. "Then what _can_ you tell me?"

"Let's find out, shall we?" Gohan said almost playfully. As he took another sip from his mug, he leaned back in his chair. "There's no time like the present, so let's start there. What do you want to know?"

Videl thought for a moment, "Well, first of all, what do you do here every day? When Sharpner asked if you were going to study all day, you told him 'more or less.' What was that supposed to mean?"

Gohan looked at her with an odd look on his face. "I see this is going to be a very detailed Q and A. I'm afraid you're reading too much into what I said. I really haven't done much of anything but study this week. I only said 'more or less' because I also spend a bit of time meditating, which could be considered a different type of studying."

Videl blinked. _Meditating?_

"By the look on your face, I'd say you've never tried meditation."

"Uh…no." She was a bit weirded out by the idea.

"I suggest you do. It's excellent for calming the mind and controlling your emotions, both invaluable skills for a fighter such as yourself."

"What do _you_ know about fighting?" Videl demanded, her eyes narrowing. It infuriated her that this essential stranger would dare to give _her_, the daughter of the strongest man in the world and most likely the second strongest person in the world herself, advice about fighting. Who did he think he was?

"No need to be offended," flashing his trademark disarming smile. Videl did not notice the trace of regret in his eyes. "Let's move to another subject. What other burning questions do you have in your mind?"

Videl was still pissed, but decided to let it go for the moment. "Fine, do you ever leave your apartment besides for school?"

"Yes. I have a job to pay for all this, but I requested the week off so that I could get adjusted to the new school."

"Where do you work?"

Gohan finished off his tea and took the mug to this sink. He replied cryptically, "Oh, you'll find out eventually. I'm sure of it." Videl scoffed. From the kitchen, he motioned towards her untouched tea. "You should probably drink that. It's getting cold."

Videl looked down and realized she had forgotten about the tea entirely. She took a large gulp as Gohan returned and pulled up his office chair.

Just as he was getting comfortable, Videl brought out the big guns. "Who is your father and why doesn't he live with your mother?"

She saw the normally relaxed boy tense slightly before leaning back in the chair. There was silence for a few moments as Gohan appeared to be considering what to say. In the end, he sighed.

"I think that's enough questions for today. How about you return the favor and answer some of mine?"

Videl was not happy. She glared at him for a few seconds, but that proved ineffective as always.

"If we have to," she muttered.

"Great, I only have two questions. First, how and why did you start your police work?"

Videl was surprised by his line of questioning. "Why do you want to know that?" No answer. "Fine, I started about two years ago when these two guys tried to rob a movie theater I was at. I kicked butt and took names, and the police asked if I wanted to work with them. I accepted, and I slowly got called more and more. There really was no why. It just sort of…happened."

"There is always a why, Videl," Gohan let the observation hang in the air for a few seconds, "We'll move on. My second question is this: Do you like having a famous father?"

The question hovered over Videl's head like a dark cloud. Of all the questions he could have asked. How could this boy seem to see right into her soul and find all the sensitive areas? Trying to escape his inscrutable gaze, she hung her head and examined the carpet with great detail. Dark memories swirled around in her head: All the slutty fangirl her father had brought home, the missed school and sports events, the manipulative friends only trying to get to her father. The list ran on and on. It all hurt. A lot.

Gohan saw the pain he had caused the girl in front of him and felt horrible. He wanted to do something—anything—to soothe her, but didn't know what. He decided it would be best to give her some space. Piercing through her veil of self-pity, he said, "It's okay. Why don't you go home now? I think I've given you enough to think about."

Videl closed her eyes and nodded. It took her several seconds to will herself to stand up slowly. She knew if she spoke or looked him in the eyes, she'd break down, and she'd be damned if she let anyone see her cry. Respectfully, Gohan took her mug and led the miserable girl to the door.

"We'll talk again sometime else. See you at school."

Videl left without a word, utterly shaken by the unexpected turn in their conversation.


	4. Old Friends

**Sorry this is a slightly shorter chapter than normal. Don't worry, the next one will be significantly longer. As always, please review and enjoy!**

* * *

Videl spent most of Saturday in her room, trying to recover from her conversation with Gohan. She was disturbed, to say the least. The painful remembrances that he had brought up still haunted her. They made her examine her life as she had not done for some time. It was not a pleasant experience.

In all honesty, she didn't enjoy her father's fame. Not that it didn't have its perks, but all the stress on her relationships was just not worth it. Now, she had to be suspicious of everyone, judging as best she could their real motives before letting them into her lives. At least, in theory. In reality, she simply had never trusted anyone completely. People were willing to do anything to get a shot at their ten minutes of fame at others' expense. Erasa and Sharpner were her only real friends, since she had known them before the Cell Games, before her world got turned upside down.

And her father—she wasn't sure if she could call him that anymore—had changed. So caught up in his celebrity, he didn't have much time to spend with her, other than to lecture her about boys. They might have lived in the same house together, but they rarely talked about anything outside small talk about the weather, sports, their plans, their days, and other trivial things.

Never one to be mired in the past, however, the teen eventually decided to shake herself out of her self-reflection and turn to what she had learned about the mystery boy the day before. The way to forget was to do things. She wrote a list of new information—she had taken to writing down everything about Gohan so she would not overlook anything.

_-Meditates_

_-Knows about fighting?_

_-Has a job somewhere_

_-Doesn't want to talk about his father_

She stopped. Was that all? It had seemed like she had learned so much more at the time. Then she remembered his reaction to her snooping, and added Controls his emotions, drawing a line connecting it with Meditates. She guessed that that must be why he always acted so weird; he was suppressing his emotions. While Videl felt that she was starting to get a handle on Gohan's strange personality, she still wasn't satisfied. She thought back to what he said.

There's always a why, Videl.

The way he said it made it almost sound like a hint. While he probably had not meant it that way, Videl seized the question as her mind went on overdrive, applying it to everything she had learned about him. If there was always a 'why,' why was Gohan the way he was? Why was a 'nerd' so athletic? Why did he want to control his emotions? Why wouldn't he talk about his father? Why, why why!

"Ughhh!" she growled, exasperated. For all her machinations, she still had no answer. She knew next to nothing and what she did know did not seemed to fit. Gohan was a massive bundle of incongruities.

The sudden ring of her communicator brought a welcome distraction. The police chief informed her of a robbery at a jewelry store downtown. She felt a little guilty that she was glad there was a crime just so she could take her mind off her own problems, but she pushed the thought out of her mind as she rushed out the door. She'd deal with that later.

* * *

Meanwhile, Gohan had decided to call his mother earlier that day. She of course was ecstatic and demanded he meet them at Capsule Corp for dinner. Gohan had reluctantly agreed, mainly because it had been some months since he had last seen his family. So, at five o'clock, he hopped into his plane and headed to West City. The sun was just toying with the horizon as the complex came into view.

What he saw as he came to land made him immediately regret his decision.

Why didn't Mom tell me everyone was going to be here?

"Hey, Gohan!" Krillin called out to him, waving him over to the field where Yamcha and Tien were sparring. He waited for Gohan to get closer, then added, "Long time no see. I haven't seen you since right after the Cell Games."

"Yes, I guess it has been a long time." Gohan was trying to figure out how he was going to get himself out of this one. "What have you been up to?"

"You know, the usual. I married 18 and had a kid. Oh, and this." Krillin informed him genially, rubbing his newly hair-covered scalp. He grinned at his old best friend's son. "You?"

The last thing Gohan wanted to tell the Z Fighters was that he was going to high school. Who knew what they would do if they found out? He was frantically trying to think of what to say, when Chi-Chi saved him, at least temporarily.

"GO-HAN! GOO-HAAAN!" His mother's voice certainly carried well.

"Sorry guys," Gohan excused himself, "but I think I'd better go."

He left the three fighters and went into the living quarters wing of Capsule Corp. There were many doors along the hallway, each leading to a separate living space. Sensing Chi-Chi in Bulma's room, he hesitantly entered.

It was an open concept design with the living room, kitchen, and dining room all connected. In suite as large as Bulma's, the result was a vast space that could easily contain the entire gang for their get-togethers. The kitchen was fully modernized, complete with automatic cooking. Seating was abundant, between a living room filled with luxurious lounge chairs and couches that clearly cost a fortune and the stools and chairs at the bar and dining room table.

No sooner had Gohan gotten past the doorframe when his mother ran up to him, shouting in excitement. "Gohan!" Chi-Chi wrapped her son in her arms, apparently trying to squeeze the life out of him. It had seemed like an eternity since she had last seen her boy.

"Mom, I…can't…breathe," choked out the crushed boy between her arms, prompting his mother to release him. She burst into tears.

"Oh, Gohan. Why don't you ever call? I've been so worried about you. I just knew if I left you out of my sight for a second, you'd turn into a delinquent." She kept on for a full minute, delivering a very detailed tirade—complete with emphatic hand gestures—about all her worst suspicions and fears for her 'delinquent' before Gohan finally cut her off.

"Mom, I'm not turning into a delinquent. I'm going to high school," he gently tried to soothe her.

Chi-Chi's eyes went wide and brightened. The tears were gone. She impulsively burst out, "YOU'RE GOING TO—" But Gohan clapped his hand over mouth and shushed her. Any louder and half of West City would hear her.

"Mom," he begged, "I don't want anyone else to know. Please be quiet."

Chi-Chi had stars in her eyes. As soon as Gohan removed his hand, she started rambling in a quieter voice, "Oh, I can't believe it. My little boy's going to high school! You can get a scholarship and go to college and become an engineer, or a physicist, or a neurosurgeon. Gohan, I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks, mom."

Suddenly, Chi-Chi shrieked, causing Gohan to jump back and look around.

"What is it?"

Chi-Chi was all but jumping in joy. "You can meet a girl and have GRANDBABIES!"

To Gohan's horror, everyone had been on their way to check out why Chi-Chi had screeched. Of course, they had to hear his mother scream that last word. Just his luck. Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha came in from outside, while the kids and the rest of the gang ran in from elsewhere in the building, including a smirking Bulma. Within seconds, the room was full. The only ones missing were Piccolo and Vegeta. The Namekian preferred to stay in the shadows and observe from afar. The Prince of Saiyans was busy training, as always.

"Grandbabies, eh, Gohan?" Krillin jeered. His mischievous smile and playful jabs in the ribs spoke volumes. "You have been a busy boy. I didn't know you even had a girlfriend. Who's the lucky lady?"

"Yeah, Gohan. Don't leave us in the dark," Yamcha said. He was clearly enjoying teasing the most powerful being in the universe.

"Brother," Goten tugged at Gohan's pant leg. "Am I gonna have a sister?"

Acutely aware of his compatriots' stares, Gohan took a deep, calming breath. He had hoped to avoid this entirely, but he could barely believe that he hadn't even made it a week.

"There are no grandbabies," he explained. "I do not have a girlfriend, and I'm sorry Goten, but there will be no new sister for you in the near future."

"That's okay, Gohan," the mini-Goku said assuringly, "I already have the best brother ever!"

As he said this, the six-year-old flew up and hugged his big brother's chest. Gohan screamed in pain as his ribs cracked from Goten's superhuman strength. The smaller Son let go and looked at Gohan, shocked and confused. The injured demi-Saiyan fell to his knees and hugged himself in pain. Everyone but Bulma was alarmed. Everyone but Bulma started to talk simultaneously.

"What's going on? Is he hurt? What happened?"

Chi-Chi's voice alone carried over the rest. "MY BABY!"

In the midst of the chaos, Gohan, clenching his teeth in agony, merely looked up at Bulma and sputtered, "Sen…Sensu…bean." She nodded and pulled one from her pocket. She had suspected something like this could occur. Honestly, considering the kind of stuff that happened between the Z Fighters, it was a miracle he wasn't killed. But he had insisted she tell no one.

The room fell silent as Bulma fed Gohan the sensu bean. When he recovered, everyone was looking expectantly at him as he grabbed a chair and sat down.

The object of their attention smiled grimly, "I guess you want an explanation."

"Well, yea-ah," Krillin was quick to speak. "It looked like you almost got crushed to death just by Goten hugging you. How is that possible?"

Gohan sighed. No point delaying the inevitable. "I had Bulma implant a device inside me that suppresses my ki. Right now, I'm barely stronger than Hercule Satan."

"What?! That big oaf who took credit for defeating Cell?" Krillin said. He could hardly believe his ears.

"Yeah."

There was an awkward silence for a few moments, before Tien voiced the question they all were thinking, "But why, Gohan? Why do such a thing? Is it some type of training?"

Reluctant to reveal anything else, Gohan stood up and put two fingers to his forehead. He was now quite grateful for his trip to Yardrat a couple years ago.

"Of sorts," he said cryptically before vanishing completely.

Krillin blinked. "Since when does he know Instant Transmission?" He wondered aloud, looking at Goten. The boy only shrugged as if there was nothing unusual and went off to play with Trunks.

With Gohan and Goten gone, the focus shifted to Bulma.

"You knew about this, and you didn't tell me!?" Chi-Chi was outraged. "Why you no good, dirty, rotten…" Yamcha led her to another room as she continued to rave.

Krillin waited until her screams started to fade away before asking Bulma, "Why is Gohan doing this, Bulma. Is it really part of his training?"

But the blue-haired beauty refused to help, "He knows why better than me. Ask him." She turned and walked out.


	5. Blackmail

Monday could not have come sooner for Videl. She was determined to get some real answers from him about his past. His constant dodging of her questions was driving her crazy. It seemed his entire life outside the mundane was a secret, and even some of that was secret too. She despised that. For all she knew, he could be some sort of serial killer or gang member. Sure, she didn't _really_ believe that—he was just too nice and…tranquil—but still!

Videl was busy slamming books into her locker when she was shocked out of her mental tirade.

"Videl!" screamed her best friend Erasa. "Where were you this weekend?"

"What do you mean?"

"We were supposed to go to the movies! I called you like eight times!"

"Really?" Videl checked her phone and saw a black screen. She groaned. She had turned off her phone when she went to talk to Gohan and had been so distracted afterwards she forgot to turn it back on.

"I'm sorry Erasa, I turned my phone off while I was in the apartment with…" She trailed off.

Oops.

"Oooo, Videl!" Erasa said suggestively. "Whoever knew you could be so naughty? Who was it? Give me all the juicy details!"

Big oops.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Erasa. It's nothing like that."

"Is that right? So what _is_ it like?"

"Well, it's…I—"

"Come on! I think your _best friend_ has the right to know."

Videl sighed and relented. What could it hurt, right? "Alright, alright. I'll tell you, but not now. Class is about to start. I'll tell you at lunch, okay?"

"Fine," the blonde huffed, scrunching her face into a fake pout. Within seconds, her frown cracked into her usual smile and she grabbed Videl's arm, "Let's go! I can't wait to see Gohan. Isn't he just so cute? I wonder what he thinks of me."

As they headed to class, she kept talking, completely oblivious to the red emerging on the cheeks of her friend.

Classes were every bit as awkward as Videl had feared. She didn't really want to talk to Gohan about that afternoon in class, especially with Erasa there, but didn't know what to say instead. Gohan, of course, seemed unfazed by the little chit-chat they'd had. Between classes, he exchanged a few pleasantries with a very flirtatious Erasa while Videl mainly sat and scowled. But when the lesson began, he seemed to switch his entire focus to the teacher.

What Videl did not know, however, was that today Gohan was every bit as distracted as she was. He was quickly regretting his decision to invite Videl into his apartment the week before. By the look of her scowl, instead of putting a damper on her curiosity, it had only amplified it. She clearly wouldn't be satisfied unless she thought she knew everything important. So now, he had to decide what he could tell her that would convince her of that when the inevitable confrontation came.

That he was half-alien was definitely out. That he defeated Cell was a no-go as well. Flying? Not a chance.

He could probably tell her about Bulma. That little bit of information was essentially harmless. The problem was that it could lead to other more sensitive information being exposed, what with Vegeta and the kids traipsing around Capsule Corp. He'd have to be careful.

Then, there was his father. He sighed inwardly. He tried not to think about his father. It just was too painful and reminded him of the nightmares. He would have preferred not to tell Videl, or anyone, about his father. Unfortunately, Videl had seized on that topic and did not seem keen on dropping it.

_I'll give her the name and that's it. Let her figure out what she can from that,_ Gohan decided.

* * *

At lunch, Videl and Erasa were mysteriously absent, leaving Gohan and Sharpner to suffer through each other's company alone.

"So, nerd-boy, play any other sports besides baseball?" While he kept up the taunts, Sharpner's own opinion of Gohan had seriously improved, largely due to his performance in gym.

"I've read about a lot of sports, but baseball is the only one I've ever played before."

"Figures for a book nerd," Sharper muttered jokingly.

As the boys continued their lunch, Videl and Erasa were eating on the roof.

"Okay, now spill," demanded Erasa.

"You're not going to let me get out of this, are you?"

"Nope!" Erasa's smile was positively evil.

Videl sighed, "Alright, I've kind of been…investigating our newest peer—without him knowing." She certainly had a talent for euphemisms.

The eyes of her blonde friend visibly bulged and almost choked on her food. "You've been stalking Gohan?"

"It wasn't…" she wanted to deny the charge, but couldn't. She hadn't realized how creepy she was being. In the end, Videl nodded reluctantly. "I've been following him and watching his apartment. I wanted to see what he actually did after school. Somehow he found out and on Friday, he invited me inside."

"Ooooo, Videl!" Erasa exploded. "And you said it was nothing like that! What happened? A hot make-out session on the couch? Wow, I never had Gohan pegged for that kind of guy. You are so lucky! Any girl at school would _die_ to get that cutie."

Videl cut the drama queen off. "We just talked, Erasa. I was trying to find out more about him."

"Hmph, well that's not as fun." Suddenly, the sinister smile returned to her face. "You like him, don't you?"

"What? I do not."

"Haha, don't try to hide it from me. I'm your best friend. I can tell. You've never been this interesting in 'investigating' a boy before."

"I do not like Gohan!" Videl yelled defensively. "Videl Satan does not crush on boys, especially nerds. I'm perfectly fine without one. Besides, dad wouldn't let me date anyone, let alone Gohan. He would have to be stronger than my dad, and no one's stronger than him."

"Excuses, excuses. _You_ need to ask Gohan on a date."

"And if I don't?"

"Then I will let it slip that you went into Gohan's apartment alone last weekend. Imagine the rumors that will start."

"But nothing happened!"

"Maybe, but they don't know that. I wonder if it will get back to your father"

"Erasa!" pled Videl desperately. The last thing she needed for her dad to get wind of this. He wouldn't so much overreact as explode. He'd hunt Gohan down and beat him to a pulp, and she would be entirely responsible.

"This is for your own good, Vi. You have until the end of the day. Oh, two rules. One, I have to be there. And two, you can't tell him about our little arrangement." Erasa left with a pert smile. She really was quite the devious one.

_Oh, great!_ thought Videl, _Now what am I going to do? If I ask him on a date, he'll get the wrong idea. I don't like him that way…I can't like him that way…I won't like him that way._ _I guess I'll just have to suck it up and ask him. Dang it, Erasa! Why'd you have to get involved?_

The rest of the day was torture for her. It was ridiculous; the crime-fighting daughter of the savior of the world couldn't work up the nerve to ask a boy on a date. Every time she tried, her mind would provide dozens of excuses that he was busy or that he wouldn't want to talk right then. So, the final class of the day came around.

Gym.

* * *

"Alright class," the instructor started, "We are done with baseball. Given the rise in crime in Satan City, the school has deemed it appropriate for you to learn to defend yourselves. We will be learning martial arts for the rest of the semester. Since I myself have a very limited knowledge of the subject, you will have a guest instructor to teach you the skills you need."

"Is it Mr. Satan?" yelled one of the guys hopefully. The entire class's ears, save those of Gohan and Videl, perked up.

"I'm afraid not." A collective sigh rang through the gym. "But, he is a two-time former semifinalist as well as the second youngest competitor ever to compete in the World Martial Arts Championship."

The class as a whole was only slightly interested in this 'nobody,' but Videl, always looking for a challenge was curious as to what someone of this caliber would look like…and if he could still put up a fight. What she saw was not what she expected.

In walked a diminutive man with short, straight black hair. He was wearing a red shirt and loose, khaki pants. He looked rather…unimpressive to Videl, as well as to the rest of the class. She was a tad disappointed. Gohan, though, was silently cursing his bad luck. _Why is Krillin here?_

"This guy's no fighter," Sharpner, a devoted Satan-ite, spewed cockily, "He looks like a wimp to me."

"No respect," Krillin muttered under his breath. Out loud, he called Sharpner out, "Alright then, come here and see for yourself!" Not expecting this response, Sharpner had to take a few seconds to process the challenge. Once he did, he came forward quickly, putting on quite a show for the class. Once he took his position, Krillin explained, "If you can land one hit on me, I'll let you do whatever you want during this class for as long as I'm here. I won't even fight back. Go!"

Krillin remained in a perfectly relaxed position. Hands behind his back, he looked up, apparently bored. Sharpner just stood there in the trademark Satan stance, confused as to whether he should attack. Finally, he shrugged.

_This is gonna be easy_, he thought, and attacked.

Blow after blow rained down all around the shorter fighter, but none connected. Sharpner couldn't land a punch—every jab, cross, uppercut, and kick was either dodged or deflected harmlessly.

Within ten minutes, Sharpner had worn himself out. Covered in sweat, he walked off to the side and collapsed against the wall. Krillin turned to the stunned class, "Any questions?"

The students were speechless, paralyzed by the display of mastery they had just seen from such an unlikely culprit. However, it affected Videl most of all. She had fought Sharpner before, and while he had not presented a great challenge—he was all brawn and no brains—it had taken a good deal of effort to take the brute down. The ease with which this mysterious new fighter had blocked and dodged every one of his attacks was mind-blowing. He wasn't even out of breath! Was this tiny man that much better than her?

Just then, Krillin's eyes locked on a member of the crowd of students. "Gohan!" he yelled to Gohan's horror and started toward him.

The name instantly snapped Videl out of her contemplations. This martial arts master knew Gohan? She was surprised, but curious and excited that this could be her chance to find out about his mysterious past.

Krillin reached his target. "Gohan," he started, grinning amicably, "What brings you to high school? Did Chi-Chi put you up to it?"

_Chi-Chi? Who's Chi-Chi?_ Videl made sure to remember that name for later.

Gohan whispered something imperceptible to Videl's ears and shook his head ever so slightly. Krillin sobered up and nodded seriously. "Okay," he again addressed the class, "First of all, my name is Krillin. I'm going to pair each of you with someone else of approximately the same strength. They will be your sparring partner for the new few weeks as you learn the basics, unless I see significant differences in skill."

He proceeded to make the groups. Sharpner was with another muscle head. Erasa got paired with a girl named Angela.

Videl was with Gohan, a fact which both irritated and intrigued her. Either this new teacher had never heard of her and thought a weakling like Gohan would be a good match, or he knew who she was and thought Gohan was strong enough to keep up. That would explain why he had given her advice while she was at his apartment. Maybe he really knew about fighting. It seemed unlikely, but based on what she'd seen, Krillin seemed to respect him. Could it be that Gohan was as strong or stronger? The very notion seemed ridiculous.

Only one way to find out, she decided. She started her stretching routine, just in case it would be a good fight. It unnerved her that he just stood there with his hands in his pockets and his eyes down. He appeared to be thinking, and seemed a little off to Videl. Then, as she got into her stance, Gohan sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.

"What are you doing?" she asked, baffled yet again by her classmate.

"I'm meditating."

"Meditating? We're supposed to be sparring!"

"I choose to meditate instead."

"Don't you care that your friend, _the teacher_," she added for emphasis, "told us to fight each other?"

"No, I make my own decisions. I will not fight."

"What? Why!?"

He was silent for so long she thought he would not deign to respond. Then, instead of answering her, he repeated himself slowly, almost painfully. The finality with which he said the four simple words struck Videl with almost physical force, despite the relatively low volume.

"I. Will. Not. Fight."

As he made this pronouncement, Gohan opened his eyes and looked up at her. His deep onyx eyes seemed to penetrate into her soul, resonating with all the self-pity and self-doubt she had harbored for years. She did not try to respond—he had silenced her with a single sentence and the strength of his gaze. Despite herself, she could not look away from those dark, piercing eyes. For the first time, she saw flashes of intense emotion behind those two orbs of obsidian. In them, she caught a glimpse of the immense sorrow and regret that Gohan had worked hard to bury deep inside. In that moment, she felt inexplicably connected with this person she hardly knew. And yet, in that moment, it didn't bother her to be in the dark. Somehow, in that moment, she felt complete.

After what seemed like hours to Videl, Gohan looked down, severing the invisible link between them. Videl sat down and exhaled heavily, feeling exhausted for some reason. Gohan, on the other hand, do not seem to react other than to again close his eyes. They remained there for several minutes, absorbed in their individual thoughts, neither making a sound.

When Gohan reopened his eyes, his emotions were once again concealed behind a mask of tranquility. He said evenly, "You wish to become a better fighter." It was a statement, not a question. "I understand that. I cannot fight you, but fighting is not always the best training. There are two aspects to every fight: physical and mental. Each is nothing without the other. While we are partnered, I can help you train your mind and thereby use your body to its fullest potential. If prefer to spend your time fighting, I'm sure I can convince Krillin to make other arrangements."

Videl sat on her heels, processing what he had said. Her thoughts revolved not around his suggestion of mental training, but around his sudden change in demeanor. Just a second ago he had seemed so vulnerable and real. The two had seemed to connect at a deep level without any exchange of words. Now, he was so distant. There was no trace of the previous Gohan, as if he had never existed. She didn't understand. She didn't understand at all. It seemed like there were two Gohans: The living, real one with real emotions and real feelings, and the glass façade that was lifeless and dead.

"Well," Gohan's voice broke through her trance, "What is your decision?"

Videl did not have to think. "I'll stay with you."

"Good, we'll start right away. Sit quietly with your eyes closed for the rest of this class. Ignore everyone else, ignore all the distractions, and calm your mind. I have to go talk to Krillin now. It's important. If you're having trouble, focus on taking deep, even breaths. Think of nothing else."

With that, he left Videl to follow his instructions. She started to protest, but thought better of it, so she sat on the hard floor as she began to 'calm her mind.' Heeding Gohan's suggestion, she directed her attention to slowing her breathing down to a steady, rhythmic pace. But no matter how much she tried, competing thoughts were constantly barging into her mind, whether from the noises of the rest of her classmates sparring, her own curiosity about Gohan, or even something as trivial as her shopping list. It proved impossible to stop the constant stream of these thoughts, despite her best efforts. Videl Satan, however, was not about to give up. So, she remained there in the same position with eyes screwed shut, hoping to force her mind into submission. This was a different kind of battle than what she was used to. Instead of fighting people or criminals, she was fighting herself.

"Yoohoo! Earth to Videl!" Erasa's voice startled Videl out of her concentration.

"Whaaa—!" she fell back. "What's going on?"

"Class is over, silly."

"Really?" How long had she been sitting there?

"Uh-huh. What were you doing just now?"

"Umm," Videl was slightly embarrassed, "Meditating, I guess?"

"Meditating?" her friend looked at her strangely. "Since when do you do that?"

"Since now, okay?" Videl was not interested in that line of conversation.

"Okay," Erasa dismissed easily, eager to move on to juicer topics. "So, do you remember our little deal?"

"You mean you blackmailing me?"

"Yeah. Sooooo…Gohan's right over there with our new teacher." She pointed over to the opposite end of the gym, where Gohan and Krillin were talking. "If you don't ask him now, you won't have a chance and I'll have to tell everyone about your little lover's tryst."

Videl sighed heavily, "Erasa, it wasn't a tryst." Her palms started to sweat and her heart started pumping as she recalled what she was being forced to do. After their little…moment together, it seemed more awkward and embarrassing than ever.

"Details, details. Let's call him over, shall we? Oh Gohan!" She waved the boy over. After a few seconds to wrap up his conversation with Krillin, he headed their way.

"Do you want something, Erasa?" the ever-polite Gohan asked.

"Videl would like to ask you something."

"Okay…" His level gaze fell on the blushing girl. She took a few steadying breaths.

"Well, I…I-I was wondering if you…if you would maybe…like to go out to dinner with me," the final words rushed out of Videl's mouth. Her cheeks darkened into a deep blush. That had been humiliating, but at least it was over. Now she just had to wait for his response.

Gohan blinked. Was that all? Why did she seem so flustered? "I would be happy to. When?"

The obvious question stumped Videl, who was not functioning at full mental capacity given the circumstances. Luckily, Erasa came to her rescue. Unable to contain herself any longer, she exploded, "Friday at six! She'll pick you up. Now, if you'll excuse us…" the ecstatic blonde practically dragged her friend away. "Dress nice!" she shouted as the pair left the gym.

Gohan was left standing there, unsure of what had just transpired. "Why would I need to dress nice to eat?" he wondered aloud. The sound of hysterical laughter reached his ears. He turned to see that Krillin, in tears, was just behind him, clutching his abdomen and rolling on his back as he howled.

"What?" the demi-saiyan demanded. That only triggered more fits of laughter. As Krillin recovered, Gohan looked at him fiercely. "Well?"

"You're just so clueless!" Krillin said wiping tears out of his eyes.

"What do you mean?!" he demanded.

Krillin suppressed the urge to burst out laughing again. "You have a date, Gohan!" He doubled over in hysteria once again.


	6. That Night

Gohan collapsed on his couch and rubbed his temples. How had things gone so wrong? First, Krillin had somehow become his gym teacher for the foreseeable future—apparently 18 had forced him to get a job to bring in some money. Not only did he make it clear to Videl and his class that he knew Gohan, but he also had tried to convince Gohan to do a 'demonstration.' It had taken a fair bit of persuasion and a few promises of information to dissuade him. Then, he had been partnered with the one girl most intent on discovering his secrets. To top it all off, he had managed to unwittingly agree to a date with her, as Krillin had informed him afterwards. He knew next to nothing about dating, but what little he did know made him sure that it would make everything a whole lot more complicated.

Not that the thought of a date with Videl was entirely disagreeable. Indeed, it aroused a violent storm of anxiety, excitement, and longing, just like when he had found himself gazing into her eyes.

Her eyes—those vast, shimmering pools of radiant blue, enticing him to enter their mysterious depths. For what seemed like an eternity he had stared into the glimmering spheres, unable to look away. One moment he saw a turbulent whirlpool of sorrow and pain that were so much like his own. At the center was a dark abyss that threatened to consume him. The next, it was as if the sun had dawned and the storm had died. Light sparkled on a calm ocean as peace and contentment filled the shining, cerulean orbs and cascaded into him, overwhelming him with the sheer force.

When Gohan finally forced himself to look away, he had felt a sense of loneliness return to him, something he had not realized he had been carrying.

No, a date with Videl was not disagreeable at all. And that was the problem.

This girl had the ability to break down all the barriers on his emotions that he had carefully erected over the years. That was dangerous. They were the only thing keeping him sane. Without them, the nightmares would return in full force. He was sure of it.

Given his unstable state, Gohan forewent his usual routine of homework and studying to spend the afternoon in meditation. His control had been shaken. He needed to reestablish it and strengthen it. He slowed his breath to a slow, peaceful pace. With each release of breath, he imagined he was expelling one of the emotions he sought to restrain. He refused to be ruled by such fickle things.

Never again would he allow anyone to be hurt because he gave in to rage or pride. He would not make the same mistake twice. Nor would he give himself to grieving. The pain was too great. He would be useless to anyone if he was incapacitated or driven to insanity by the nightmares or mere sleep deprivation.

That was why he had moved to Satan City. That was why he gave up fighting and training. The only solution he had seen was to start new. All his family and friends simply cared too much, and he cared too much about them. Their presence constantly reminded him of his failure. Training fed his pride and brought back painful memories of training with his father. He needed to humble himself, so he became an ordinary kid. The ki suppressor was meant to help with this. It suppressed his strength and with it, hopefully, the pride and arrogance that had forced Goku to sacrifice himself. He had stripped himself of strength, family, and home. In Satan City, he could maintain a level head and work to forget the past.

Or, at least, that had been the plan. Videl was throwing a monkey wrench into things. He had not counted on dealing with potential romance. Growing up with essentially no contact with other girls of his age, it had never occurred to him. What little he knew was nothing but theory. He had heard a bit about dating and relationships, but never experienced it. He didn't know what to expect.

One thing he knew, however. He could not afford to get emotionally attached to Videl. For one thing, she was all too determined to find out all his secrets, which would not end well. But more important was her effect on him. If he allowed her to get too close, he worried what would happen—what kind of tricks, twists, turns, and tumbles his mind and heart would do. It was doubtful he would come out unscathed.

As all these reflections bounded around in Gohan's head, it took far longer than normal to bring himself under control. But eventually he felt at peace again, or at least as peaceful as he could be under the circumstances. With that done, he was free to eat a quick meal and finish all his necessary homework. He went to bed early, unwilling to face Krillin that night. He would talk to him tomorrow at school.

What was his world coming to?

* * *

In the vast catacombs of Satan Mansion, Videl lay on her plush bed, exhausted from the marathon shopping trip Erasa had dragged her through. Apparently, it was necessary to visit every store in the mall at least once in order to buy a single outfit. How that made sense, Videl did not know, but Erasa was Erasa.

Now, happy to be home in her own room, she had time to relive the day's events. They mainly centered around Gohan.

She couldn't believe she had asked Son Gohan out on a date. She couldn't believe he had accepted so willingly. She couldn't believe she was actually going through with this.

She and Gohan were going on a date. A flutter ran through her stomach. Was she excited about this? The idea repulsed her. How could she be excited to go on a date with a nerd who refused to tell her anything about himself? Then again, those few seconds when their eyes had met…never had she felt so drawn to another individual before. It was as if in that moment he understood her better than anyone else in the world, yet no words had been exchanged. It was ridiculous…yet couldn't help but imagine what it would feel like for him to hold her in his arms, to caress her face gently and whisper words of comfort.

Videl jumped out of her bed, horrified by that train of thought.

_No, no, no, no, NO, NO, NOO! _She screamed to herself in her mind.

She immediately rushed down to their in-house gym. The workout that followed was long and intense. She didn't know how long she ran or how many times she had worked over the punching bag. There was no objective other than to physically beat thoughts of liking Gohan out of her brain. No, she should not and could not like Gohan.

_Come on, Videl, get a grip! _Her assault on the imaginary enemy was vicious. _Boys are trouble. Plus, you don't know anything about this guy. You can't let a few stupid seconds of looking in his eyes shake you. He's keeping secrets for a reason. He's probably just like all the others. They all just want to get close to me to use me as some sort of sick trophy or to meet my father. _

One last power kick to the worn-out bag sent it flying back a good ways, rattling the chain violently as it settled back into place. She needed to figure out that boy. That had to be her top priority, above everything else. Until she knew for sure who he was and what he wanted, she could not trust him.

A beat Videl returned to her room with new resolve. First, she headed into the bathroom for a shower. It felt good to clean up after a particularly sweaty workout. As the warm water beat into her skin, it relieved some of the pent-up stress from the last couple days. By the time she was done, she was relaxed enough to focus and think calmly.

Her mission firmly established in her head, she went to her computer to reexamine what had happened during gym. A fighter who was seemingly stronger than her knew and seemed to respect Gohan. That was suspicious. How did the two know each other?

She launched a search on Krillin and to her confusion found almost nothing. He existed—he had a birth certificate and driver's license—but there was no information about his place of residence. Even more bizarrely, there was not record of him having competed in the World Martial Arts Tournament even once, let alone three times. In fact, all records of three of the tournaments—the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd—seemed to have been lost. She could not find a list of contestants and winners anywhere. There were no video, no sound bites, no newspaper articles. They obviously happened, but there was no record at all of _what_ happened.

This meant that she would have to grill either Krillin or Gohan for information, since they were the only two people that she knew could help. But she was getting really annoyed at all Gohan's dodging. He was determined not to let slip anything important. Krillin didn't seem nearly so secretive. Maybe he would tell her what she wanted to know—both about the tournaments and about Gohan. If that failed, she always had her death glare. It may not have worked on Gohan, but he had to be the exception to the rule.

That was it! If she couldn't get anything straight from Gohan, she would go through his friends and family, starting with Krillin. After all, didn't he say his family lived in…blast it, she couldn't remember. It was one of the remote areas with almost no inhabitants. If she could just remember, she could go there and meet his family. There couldn't be many houses out there. If she had enough time, she was sure that she could find it and talk to them. She could be _very_ persuasive, and she was determined to uncover who Gohan was. If only she could remember!

Wait! Videl's mind turned back to Friday. She could get the information straight from the horse's mouth without making him suspicious. It wasn't going to be a real date, she reasoned, but more like an undercover reconnaissance mission. Instead of grilling him for answers, she would try to lure him into revealing even more about himself and who he knew. All she needed were the area where his family lived and maybe a few names. After that, she was certain the rest would fall in place.

Then again, wasn't that awfully mean to manipulate someone like that? Sure, he had his secrets, but using the pretext of a date to uncover them…it just sounded wrong. Then again, it was just one date, she reasoned. Gohan couldn't expect much of that. Nothing bad could come of it.

Besides she was going on this date because Erasa forced her to, and there was nothing wrong about using it to find out about Gohan. After all, wasn't that the point of a date, to get to know each other? She was just going about it in a roundabout fashion. It was completely normal.

At least that's what she told herself.


	7. Countdown

Tuesday: Three Days to Date

The school was abounding with rumors about Videl and Gohan's date. Apparently, someone had overheard Erasa's prattling at the mall, and the gossip spread like wildfire. Needless to say, most of the girls were none too happy that she had stolen 'their' Gohan. A lot of the guys were upset too, their delusions of being the one to date the daughter of Hercule Satan. Their looks of jealousy disgusted Videl. Even Sharpner joined in.

Gohan sat with them as always, studiously ignoring the looks he was getting from bitter jocks and pining girls. He didn't say a word to anyone, even Erasa, appearing too preoccupied to notice anyone else. He simply stared straight ahead during the entire class. He didn't even take notes.

At lunch, he was uncharacteristically absent. That was fine by her. She was still working out the details of how she would get Gohan to talk. It wasn't like he ever revealed anything important when other people were around anyway. Still, she couldn't keep some part of her from wishing he was there.

Gohan was using the time to hunt down Krillin and fill him in as promised on what exactly he was doing in high school. The prospect of this filled him with dread, but it had to be done. Otherwise, Krillin would most definitely make his life miserable.

He found Krillin in the gymnasium where a class was just finishing up. The kids were slowly walking away, many rubbing their sore limbs and cringing with each step. When he caught sight of Gohan, he motioned subtly to follow, then led him through the locker rooms into a small, undecorated office. Krillin took the seat behind the desk, but his guest ignored the other chair, preferring to stand.

"Okay, Gohan, you mind filling me in here?" His friend pled. "I don't hear from you for years after the Cell Games, and then you show up at Bulma's with a device that reduces your power to practically nothing. When we ask you about it, you vanish into mid-air. Now, I find out you're going to high school, but you won't tell me anything unless we're in private. What gives?"

Gohan had been rehearsing what he would tell his old friend, who knew him too well for lying to be an option. He would skip some personal stuff, but now was the time to spill the beans.

He began, "After I defeated Cell, I started training almost non-stop so that nothing like that would happen again. For six years, I pushed myself to my limits." He described his training and adventures, leaving out the recent milestone of reaching Super Saiyan 3. "A year ago, though, I couldn't take it anymore. So I stopped my training and moved to Satan City to be normal. I lived there a year working for Bulma before I decided to go to high school, mainly because mom always wanted it." He ended with a brief overview of his time in high school up the that point.

"But why the ki suppressor?" Krillin asked when he had finished. Things just weren't adding up.

"It's to help me be normal." Gohan knew it was a half-truth at best.

"Uh-huh, right. And why did you stop your training? What do you mean you couldn't take it anymore? I mean you're a Saiyan! You live to train and fight."

"Not anymore."

The answer stunned Krillin. He had known Gohan since he was a kid, and was attuned enough to the boy to notice that something was seriously wrong, even though his voice didn't betray a thing. Reading in between the lines of everything Gohan had said, he could discern that the kid was having some major issues, but didn't want to talk about them with anyone. He guessed it had to do with his father. He wished he could help, but didn't know how. So, he decided to back off for the time being.

"You should probably get to lunch. There's not much time before class," Krillin said abrubtly and flashed him a knowing smile. He would continue to keep an eye on the most powerful being in the universe.

"Thanks, Krillin. See you in class!" Gohan ran off, relieved that it was over.

Gym class continued where it had left off the previous day. Everyone but Gohan and Videl was sparring, and Krillin would go around instructing one group at a time. The remaining two students sat in a secluded corner, both meditating. No mention of that weekend was made. Gohan gave her the same instructions as before, but did not leave this time. He sat there with her, engaged in his own mental exercise. Occasionally, he admonished her to relax when he noticed she was tensing up. Calming her mind was proving to be more difficult than she had expected.

Wednesday: Two Days to Date

The next day, in the middle of class, Videl's communicator rang. She rushed from the school to deal with another hostage situation. She still had not returned by lunch, leaving her friends alone to eat, talk, and, in the case of Erasa, gossip.

"So, Gohan," Erasa began playfully, "You excited for this Friday?"

"Yeah, nerd-boy," Sharpner interjected, "Tell us. What are you really doing this Friday? No way Videl would agree to go on a date with you!"

"Sharpner," the girl sighed, "_Videl_ asked _him_! I was there. I should know."

The self-absorbed muscle head's jaw dropped. In his mind, it was impossible for Videl to want anyone but him.

Gohan was unwilling to continue this line of conversation. "Let's talk about something else," he suggested.

"Okay!" Erasa agreed surprisingly quickly, "How about your wardrobe? You're going to need something special for your date with Videl. I'm guessing you don't have anything like that, and you know what that means…" She let the phrase dangle long enough for Gohan groan inwardly as he realized what he had just gotten himself into. The bubbly teen finally screeched, "Shopping!"

When she heard Gohan groan, she stated firmly, "You and me are going to the mall tomorrow after school and that's that. It'll be fun!"

Videl returned a short while after lunch. There had only been two thugs, but they had been packing some serious fire power. Videl Satan was smart, though. Instead of charging head in for a kamikaze assault, she had snuck in through a window around back and set herself up to dive bomb the two buffoons. A kick to the neck and a foot sweep later, and both were on the ground, moaning in pain. It was a quick job, but some paperwork and the press had caused her some delay.

In gym, she continued her efforts at meditation. Distracting thoughts and feelings continued to stand in her way. The closest she got to calming her mind was when she almost drifted off to sleep. She was beginning to get frustrated at her lack of progress. Sure, it was only her third day, but shouldn't she be getting at least a little better?

Both of them studiously avoided discussing their plans for Friday.

Thursday: One Day to Date

Lunch was an exercise in awkwardness. Gohan and Videl had no idea what to say to each other. Sharpner was busy fuming, but didn't want to incur the wrath of Videl by commenting. Erasa babbled on, as usual, but earned only grudging, one or two word responses in return. And so, the meal was eaten in relative silence, punctuated by a few meaningless questions about the weather or homework or such.

Gym was not any better. Hardly anything was said between the two as both were involved with their own mental struggles.

Videl still couldn't seem to get herself to ignore all the external and internal distractions. She was never a calm girl, but her life as daughter of the champ and crime fighter had amplified her natural agitation. She had always had to be extremely alert and perceptive. Her mind was constantly running at high speed, catching and analyzing every detail so that she could protect herself and the people she loved.

Meditating required her to go against her nature. She needed to learn to somehow control her mind and reach a state of mental peace that always eluded her no matter how hard she ran after it. Every step she took toward it only served to push her target a step away. It was immensely frustrating.

The bell rang, ending her internal game of cat and mouse.

She exhaled loudly, upset at yet another failure. She opened her eyes to see Gohan standing up. Joining him on her feet, she looked up at his face. He was usually extremely calm after meditating, but today he looked tense. He just stood there, looking off into the distance, as if dreading something.

He spoke, "I promised Erasa I'd go shopping with her today." It was a solemn pronouncement, as if he had just informed her of a death in the family. His eyes and face conveyed a picture of total seriousness. Videl couldn't help herself. She laughed. Hard.

Gohan gave her a quizzical look, but soon started chuckling despite himself. It really was quite ridiculous. He didn't know why, but pretty soon he was bellowing right along with her. He laughed like he hadn't in years. Laughter begot laughter, leaving the two having a difficult time coming down from their hilarious high.

Eventually, though they managed to regain control of themselves, though not without intense effort. When they did, the veil of awkwardness seemed to have vanished, at least to Videl.

"Are you shopping for Friday?" she inquired, suppressing the giggle the rose in her throat.

"Yeah, she doesn't think my wardrobe is appropriate." Gohan grimaced, but couldn't keep the Son grin off his face for long.

She smirked, "Well now you'll get to feel my pain. She forced me to go on Monday! Good luck, you'll need it."

As it turned out, he would have infinitely preferred to have the luck _not_ to have been dragged into shopping with the energetic self-proclaimed fashion 'expert.' No amount of luck could help him on their little excursion. By the end of it, he could have sworn they had traversed the entire mall at least five times and only bought three outfits. What was it about shopping that could make even the toughest Saiyan warrior exhausted within minutes? It was surely one of the great mysteries of the universe. Bulma should really look into it.

And so, thanks to a little help from a conniving friend, Gohan and Videl were ready for their date.

Friday: Day of Date

Friday had arrived at last, and the apprehension of the "couple" was steadily rising. However, the immense awkwardness between the two was no longer present, making normal conversation possible.

At lunch, the discussion mainly centered around the safe topic of shopping. Gohan and Videl argued together in vehement opposition to their shared least favorite activity. Erasa, of course, animatedly expounded on all its supposed merits. Sharpner, surprisingly, agreed with Erasa.

"I need to have plenty of clothes that show off my muscles properly, especially my arms," he explained and flexed his biceps to make his point. That got laughs from everyone.

By gym, the two were getting nervous. She didn't know about Gohan, but she could not focus enough to even try to meditate. She was fairly certain she would fail anyway. So instead, she spent the time thinking and worrying about that evening.

She wanted to set Gohan at ease, to make him feel comfortable enough to trust her with at least some information about his life. After all her prying, she still felt like she knew next to nothing about the guy. Why couldn't he just trust her? Was there something she could do?

The whole date setting was uncomfortable to her as well. What should she say? How should she act? Surprisingly enough, Videl's aggressive personality, intimidating glares, and threats of violence had not earned her many dates. Only one, in fact—and that had not gone well at all...but she wouldn't think about that.

Oh, and her father's proclamation that anyone who dated her had to be stronger than him might have contributed to the situation as well. It wasn't that no one ever asked her, but she was always suspicious of their motives. She rejected the precious few that went against all odds to try.

This presented a problem. There wasn't much of a chance for her to make Gohan feel comfortable if she was on-edge herself. As it stood, the date in all likelihood would take an extremely awkward turn, which did not serve her purposes at all.

The bell rang. She noiselessly got up and left Gohan without a word, continuing to contemplate the dilemma on the way home.

Gohan left soon after her. Absorbed in his own world, he had hardly heard the bell, but he eventually stood and went home as well. He walked, as always, but he hardly noticed the other people on the sidewalk besides as faint ki signatures to be avoided. 10 minutes later, he arrived. He pushed open the building doors, turned down the familiar hallway. A door labeled 102, the soft turn of a key, a squeak of the swinging hinges, and he was in.

This was his sanctuary. The silence and tranquility in his apartment soothed him. It was familiar. There, he could rest and recuperate before that night. There, he spent hours regaining the near perfect emotional control he had had before the first day of school. He would need every bit of it for his date.

His date. It was an inconvenience that he should have foreseen and avoided. His first instinct when he had found out about his blunder was to simply tell Videl that he had misunderstood. Krillin had quickly informed him of the folly of that idea. It would cause more problems than it solved.

So, he was stuck with a date with the daughter of Hercule Satan who was determined to expose him. He still didn't know why she had even asked him out. Was it just a part of her scheme or something else?

In the end, it didn't matter; he would treat it the same way. He would make sure he kept all sensitive details about his life hidden. He would not allow his focus slip. He would not allow himself to get attached.


	8. Getting Ready

Getting Ready

Boy:

Five minutes before Videl was supposed to pick him up at seven, Gohan got up and threw on the nice jeans and button-down shirt Erasa had bought him. Then, all he did was brush his teeth and put on some deodorant and he was done. It was 6:58, so he went back to meditating until she arrived.

Girl:

Three hours beforehand, Erasa came over to begin the process of getting Videl ready, very much against her will.

To start off, Erasa sent her to deep cleaning, meaning a long, steaming bath accompanied by intensive shampoo and conditioning and extensive scrubbing of every path of skin on her body. When she returned, her friend was waiting with clothes. A strapless bra and a matching pair of panties went on first, followed by the dress they had picked on earlier that week.

With the basics covered, Erasa turned to more detailed matters: hair and makeup.

The hair came first to avoid smearing the makeup later on. Videl simply sat in a chair as Erasa worked her magic. Every hair care device imaginable came out of her friend's bag of wonders. A hair dryer, pins, combs, brushes, rollers, hair ties, headbands…Videl had no idea what half of the stuff was for. In no time at all—or rather after an extended period of time during which she would have fallen asleep if it weren't for the constant tugging at her hair—it was done. "Perfect," in the words of the blonde stylist.

Makeup took nearly as long. Erasa apparently considered her face as a canvas for her next masterpiece. Videl did a lot of begging and complaining to try to get her overeager friend to keep her recognizable. Heavy makeup was not her thing, and she didn't think it was Gohan's thing either. That last point, made in desperation, was what finally persuaded the makeup Nazi. So, Erasa kept it simple—foundation, a bit of mascara, some subtle lipstick, and the like.

For the finishing touches, Videl received some nail polish on her hands and feet as well as a pair of elegant high-heeled sandals that matched her outfit perfectly. She could barely walk, but Erasa informed her she looked "gorgeous."

By the time they were done, it was well past six o'clock. Soon, she would have to leave to pick up Gohan. Before she did, though, it was girl-talk time. She still was nervous about how to act on a date. As much as she knew she would regret it, she had decided to go to Erasa for advice. She knew a heck of a lot more about dating and boys than Videl did. Maybe she could grant her some insight into how to get into boys' heads.

"What do I do, Erasa?" she put it bluntly.

"What do you mean 'what do you do?'"

"Tonight."

"Simple, you pick Gohan up, eat dinner, and talk with him."

"But what do we talk about? What should I say?"

"Lots of things. It's a date; get to know each other," Erasa instructed.

"Get to know each other?" Videl scoffed, "And how do you suppose I do that? He won't tell me anything about himself."

"So?"

"That annoys me. He's hiding something."

"Maybe, but what makes you think you have the right to know what he's hiding?"

"I have every right—!"

Erasa cut her off, "Look, Vi. The fact of the matter is that people have secrets. You can't just expect a person to give you a detailed account of their life to an essential stranger."

"I never asked for his whole life story!" Videl objected.

"But you won't be satisfied until you get it. I know that and he knows that."

Videl was about to protest, but a look from Erasa shut her up. "Alright, I admit it. So what do I do to get him to open up?"

The impish girl perked up at the opportunity to share her questionable tactics. "There are lots of ways to get a boy to tell you something. The most surefire one would require a hotel reservation and some slight changes in your attire. Let's see, first we could…"

Videl did not like where her friend's mind was headed. "No way," she interrupted, "Try again."

The excited girl huffed at being shot down. "I swear! You're such a prude." She thought for a moment. "If that's the case, you could try telling him about yourself. Let him get to know the real you. Then he might trust you enough to show you the real him."

She frowned at this response and subconsciously adjusted her dress. She did not like the idea of opening up to anyone. The only ones she felt comfortable enough to let into her life were her father—for all the good that did—and her friends Erasa and Sharpner, and that was only because they knew her before the Cell Games.

"Got any other ideas?" She asked without much hope of getting the answer she wanted.

"Not that you'd approve of."

Videl rolled her eyes. "Thanks for nothing."

"You're welcome!" Erasa replied enthusiastically, "Now go get him!"

Videl got into one of her many cars and headed towards Gohan's place. On the way, she thought over what Erasa had said. Maybe she was right. Maybe she should let Gohan know a little bit about herself. After all, _she_ didn't want to trust someone she didn't know anything about, why would Gohan? Still, she was nervous to actually go through with it. Better to save it as a last resort. Until then, she would continue with her own plans.


	9. First Date?

**I'm back! Sorry for my extended absence, but I'm back and determined to finish this story. This time around, though, I won't be writing as often so update will probably take longer (unless I get inspired).**

**Down to business. As promised, here is the next chapter, and it's a long one. I had hoped to get more out this month, but with the holidays, I've been pretty distracted. As always, please read and review. I love hearing all your comments, positive and negative.**

**Merry Christmas and Happy New Years!**

* * *

At 7 o'clock on the dot, there was a knock on Gohan's door. The young boy's eyes flickered open and he uncurled his legs. Within two steps he was at the door. He was ready for anything, he thought as swung the door inward.

He was wrong.

As expected, Videl stood there, but the only thing the same about her was the color of her eyes and hair. The rest of her had been completely transformed. Her hair, released from their customary pigtails, now cascaded down her shoulders in smooth waves. Her face, newly complimented with make-up, exuded an utterly feminine look that he was unaccustomed to. However, he only managed to notice these details fleetingly, for it was the dress that seized his attention almost immediately.

She was clothed in a stunning, black cocktail dress with broad straps that crisscrossed around her neck. It fell to just above her knees, showing off her perfectly toned calves. The smooth satin fabric hugged curves which she had made a point never to show to anyone before. That, combined with a strategically placed gap in the crossing straps, was making it hard for a flustered Gohan to tear his eyes away, a fact which the uncomfortable girl was well aware of. Never had Videl been this self-conscious in her entire life, and the dark-haired boy's stares were not helping. Eventually, she cleared her throat to direct his attention upward to her now blushing face.

Gohan felt heat on his own cheeks and instantly looked down. Things were not off to a good start, but he was determined to maintain control. Taking a few moments to regain his composure, he worked to steady his breath and pounding heart.

"I apologize," he said finally. His voice was genuine and serious. "I was caught off guard. You look quite stunning this evening."

Videl mumbled something incoherent in response. She wasn't bothered as much by his stares—although she was quite relieved to be free of them—as by his new formality. She didn't know how to respond to his compliment, so she decided to press on as if nothing happened. "Are you ready?" she asked.

"I am." He smiled congenially. "What are the plans for tonight?"

"You'll find out eventually," she replied, recalling one of the annoyingly cryptic answers he had given her the last time she was in his apartment.

"So that's how it is. Very well, _I_ will be patient," Gohan retorted good-naturedly, causing the fiery girl to glare at him. "Shall we go?" he suggested, ignoring the dark stare.

"Fine. Let's go." She led him outside and decapsulated her car.

The ride to the restaurant was essentially silent. Gohan took the opportunity to focus his thoughts in an attempt to avoid any more slip-ups that night. Videl, meanwhile, couldn't figure out a way to break the ice. She supposed it might be easier to talk in a less pressured, intimate setting, so she decided to wait. That is, she chickened out.

They pulled up to the Satan Café, a fairly upstanding establishment in Satan City and one of Videl's favorites. The food was high quality but reasonably priced, and the service was excellent. That last detail was of course improved considerably by her identity as the Champ's daughter. Unfortunately, that was a mixed blessing. Her fame also meant she couldn't go anywhere without being recognized, so she had arranged for them to be seated at a corner table partially secluded from the rest of the restaurant. It wasn't a perfect solution, but the staff members were also paid a little extra to keep the other customers away. That ensured that the two would have relative privacy.

The waiter took their drink orders—water for Gohan, a diet Coke for Videl—gave them their menus, and left them alone to decide on their meals.

"What are you going to get?" Videl questioned casually after each had browsed through the menu a bit. It was the only thing she could think to say.

"I don't know," Gohan said as his eyes flicked between each dish listed. There was a lot to choose from. "What are you getting?"

"I always get the chicken marsala. It's absolutely amazing."

"That sounds good…" He scanned the other dishes for a moment more, then snapped his menu shut. "I think I'll get that too."

Videl called the waiter over and ordered for them. With that done, all they had to do was wait for the food. She didn't know how to break the silence between them. She cast about in her mind to find a topic that they could talk about safely.

"So, how long have you lived in Satan City?" It was a pathetic attempt, but it was something.

"About a year."

"How do you like it?"

"There's so many people and places. It can be a bit overwhelming sometimes."

"Yeah," Videl agreed, "Is must be hard for you to live so far away from your family."

"Sometimes," he said but didn't go into any detail.

Silence once again took over. This was going to be even harder than she thought. Videl wasn't much for small talk, and it appeared Gohan was unwilling to help get the ball rolling. From the perfectly calm, focused look on his face, she guessed that he could go through the entire evening in complete silence without being bothered at all. So the task fell to her to do something to prevent this night from being a total disaster.

"So…" she started uncertainly, "What did you think of the math homework?" Okay, that attempt was even lamer than the first, but it was something. Gohan looked a bit confused by the sudden and random turn of the conversation. He had clearly expected to be given the third degree tonight, date or not, about his life and past. Now, here she was asking about something as mundane as school, something they had never talked about before.

"The math homework?"

"Yeah, the math homework," Videl continued, hardly knowing what she was saying. She picked up a fork and started nervously twiddling it around in her fingers. "Did you think it was hard?"

"Well, I haven't done it yet."

"You haven't?" The fork stopped moving momentarily before resuming its constant motion. She was a bit surprised and confused. From what she had seen while she was…_observing_ him, he always did his homework as soon as he got home from school, no matter if it was the weekend or not.

"No, not yet, but based on the material it's over, it shouldn't be too hard…" Gohan considered expounding, but decided against it.

"What about calculus is easy?" Videl asked incredulously.

"Well," he explained, "Nothing, I guess, but when you've been doing it since you were eight, it becomes pretty basic."

Videl's jaw dropped and her hands ceased. "You learned calculus when you were eight? That's incredible! You … you really are a genius, aren't you?"

Gohan let out an embarrassed chuckle. "No, not really. My mom just forced me to study a lot when I was a kid."

"Yeah, well I still wish I had your brains. It would make school easier and give me more time to train." Her eyes had migrated down to her hands as she spoke. She resumed her manipulation of the utensil. When she finally looked up, she saw Gohan examining her intently. "What?" she demanded.

"Tell me, Videl," he said, leaning forward on his elbows. "Why do you want to train so much?"

For an instant her crystal blue eyes vanished behind long, black eyelashes as she blinked in surprise. Wasn't it obvious? Deciding to humor him, though, she told him, "To get stronger."

That did not satisfy him. "But why do you want to get stronger?"

This question made her pause. She briefly considered her work fighting off criminals, but that wasn't the main reason. "To be the best," she admitted after a moment of hesitation.

"And how will you know when you're the best?"

"When I beat my father in the World Martial Arts Tournament." There was not a trace of doubt behind her words.

Gohan paused to consider her words. He seemed to be about to press further, but instead leaned back in his chair. "I see," he said simply. As he did, Videl felt her mind and body relax slightly. She was glad to be out of the hot seat for the time being.

Just then, the waiter arrived with some rolls to hold them over. They provided a welcome distraction as she and Gohan (but mostly Gohan) fell to devouring the food in the most elegant and polite way possible. Just as she was getting comfortable, however, she heard him speak again. "Alright, fair is fair. You answered my question, now I'll answer one of yours."

Videl was stunned. She hadn't expected him to just offer to answer her answers. Maybe Erasa was right. Maybe if she just let him know more about her, than he would be more willing to let go of his secrets. It still wasn't pleasant, but neither was it as bad as she had feared and it sure seemed to be effective.

Gohan's voice brought her back to reality. "Well? I thought you would be dying to find out about me. Have you run out of questions?"

"No!" Videl gave him a brief glare before deciding what to ask him. She decided to avoid the topic of his father, given his reaction the last time she had brought it up. Other than that, what was it that she most wanted to know…ah! "How do you know a talented fighter like Krillin?" she voiced, eager to find out the answer.

Gohan's face twitched almost imperceptibly. "He…He was friends with my father when they were kids."

_Crap!_ thought Videl, _I wanted to avoid talking about his father. He seems to shut down every time we do. Now what can I do to fix this…_

"So Gohan, who's stronger—you or Krillin?"

Gohan looked up and smiled slightly. "Right now? Krillin by a long shot."

"What do you mean 'right now'?"

"Let's stick to the present, shall we?" That earned him a glare and a grunt from Videl.

"Fine, who's stronger, you or me?" She was fairly certain that Krillin was significantly stronger than her as well, but she was interested to know if Gohan surpassed her as well.

"Hmm…" Gohan closed his eyes. Unbeknownst to Videl, he was carefully gauging her power level against his own. "In terms of sheer strength, I'd say we are quite equally matched."

"Really?" When Gohan nodded his head, she had a very mixed reaction. On the one hand, she surprised he was that strong. On the other, she was upset that, based on what Gohan had told her, she clearly had a long way to go to measure up to legends like Krillin and her father. She was glad that Gohan was helping to train her—at least she hoped all this meditation stuff would help her—but she was now unsure Gohan was capable of helping her at all. But wait… "Hold on, what other terms are there?"

"A lot—technique, experience, ingenuity, and tactics to name a few."

"So what about those? How do I compare to you there?" Videl prodded.

Gohan merely sighed. "If you want to know who would win in a fight, the answer is no one, because the fight would never happen."

"But—"

"Let's talk about something else," Gohan requested, firm but not rude.

"But—"

"Two plates of chicken marsala for the young couple," the waiter interrupted, much to Videl's dismay.

The food was served, and, given the absolute silence, it must have been downright phenomenal. For the next fifteen minutes, only the soft chinks of silverware and the occasional slurp of the noodles could be heard. It took a while, but eventually Videl started to calm down a little, and cursed herself for her stupidity. She had started to slip into the interrogation mode she had told herself to avoid. There wasn't even a need for it; Gohan was already being. She just needed to be patient and take what she could get.

As they were finishing the food, Gohan spoke, "You were right; this was very good." Videl hummed and nodded absentmindedly. It really was a superb meal, but she was preoccupied with her own thoughts. While they basked in their post-dinner stupor, Videl couldn't help but notice that she was actually enjoying herself in some strange way. Sitting there with Gohan gave her an inexplicable feeling of contentment. Even so, she could not let her guard down. They were about to begin anew their verbal jousting. It was a battle not of fists but of words, and she needed all her concentration At the moment, they were at a standoff, analyzing the situation and their opponent, trying to determine their next move. It was Gohan who spoke first.

"My turn," he announced. Videl started to protest, but thought better of it. For now, she decided to follow Erasa's advice. Although it displeased her to let Gohan in on her life, it did seem to make him much more agreeable to answering her questions. He was establishing a precedent—she would answer one question and he would answer one question. So, she would play his game for the time being. She let him continue, "Why did you invite me to dinner?"

Videl immediately questioned her decision.

"Oh! Um … I …" Blood filled her cheeks as she desperately tried to find a way to answer him. She had always valued true and integrity above all else, but right now she was greatly tempted to lie. The truth might cripple her relationship with Gohan. Beyond that, it was plain embarrassing. All she had to say was that she wanted another chance to get answers from him. It made decent sense, and he probably would not question it. But the silence stretched out, Gohan waiting patiently for her answer. She was having difficulty bringing herself to consciously lie, especially to someone who, to the best of her knowledge, had never lied to her, despite how little he had actually told her. Of course, she could just refuse to answer at all, but that might give him the wrong idea that she _liked_ him or something. Finally, she resigned herself to her fate. Sighing, she told him bluntly, "Erasa blackmailed me into asking you out."

* * *

Gohan's eyebrows arched in surprise. That was one of the least expected reasons she could have given. However, even though it was an unexpected revelation, he was more relieved than anything else. It seemed that he would not have to deal with the whole romance thing after all. Even so, he tried not to let it show, unsure how his reaction would affect Videl. He needn't have worried. Videl seemed too wrapped up in her own embarrassment to pay close attention to him.

Still, Gohan was confused on how and why Erasa was blackmailing Videl. He waited for her to continue, but she appeared unwilling to say anything more. She would not even meet his eyes. Not to be deterred, he gently said one word: "Why?"

The sound of his voice caused Videl to snap her head up and look at him searchingly, as if she was trying to determine something. She exhaled loudly. Whatever it was, she had apparently resolved the issue because when she spoke again, her voice had regained its usual blend of confidence and brashness.

"Why?" she started, "Why did she blackmail me?" She was gaining volume. "Because she wanted to get us together, numskull! Somehow she thinks that I like you, or that we would be a good couple or some other nonsense, so she decided to play an evil game of matchmaking!"

"But what could she possibly have on you? Did you do something wrong?" Gohan interjected.

"I did nothing."

"Then how is she …"

Videl let out an exasperated sigh. "I told her about coming into your apartment, so she threatened to spread that rumor around and let people think that we … er … you know …"

Gohan's eyes widened in comprehension. "I see." He could feel warmth in his face, but managed to remain levelheaded as he thought through the situation. "So then, after tonight, will she leave you be?"

"Probably. She's not trying to be malicious or anything like that. She just gets overexcited and sticks her nose where it doesn't belong."

Gohan's lips raised in an amused smile. "That does seem like her."

There was a gap in their conversation, during which the servers came and picked up their plates. Gohan leaned back in his chair, mulling over the night so far and considering the best way to proceed. Nothing had gone exactly as he expected, but he had controlled himself well up to this point. Still, he needed to be cautious. That girl possessed the uncanny ability to unsettle him like no one else. Her persistent attempts to pry information out of him were definitely a concern as well.

This time, Videl broke the silence, "So do I get to ask you a question now?"

_Back and forth it goes._ Gohan thought. Perhaps it had been a bad idea to establish this one for one game of questions and answers. Instead of placating her as he had intended, each answer he gave seemed only to intensify her desire to dig deeper. Oh well, it was too late now. As long as he was careful, she wouldn't find out anything he didn't want her to. In any case, he could stop the game at any time simply by refusing to ask her a question. He was in control—as long as he didn't look into her eyes…

"Sure," he said to his expectant tablemate, "But let's go outside. It will be much more pleasant to walk around while we talk."

* * *

Videl split the check with Gohan at his insistence, and they left the noisy atmosphere of the restaurant, entering into the only slightly less noisy city. Outside was completely dark but for the light from the buildings and streetlights that lined the path. Sounds from vehicles and pedestrians permeated the air, but the wide open space served to damper the noise.

"Where to?" she asked.

"I don't know," Gohan replied, "Nowhere specific. Let's just head in the direction of my apartment."

"Sounds fine." They started off, and Videl immediately began formulating what to ask next. She had to be careful, but she was starting to enjoy this game of give and take. The discomfort she felt in answering his questions was well worth the answers she received in return. Each step brought her closer to figuring out the mystery known as Son Gohan. "Okay," she began, "Who taught you to fight?" She examined him carefully as she spoke, not wanting to miss anything.

Gohan didn't return her gaze, choosing to stare up into space instead. "I was first taught to fight by a guy named Piccolo."

"Piccolo?" Videl said incredulously, "As in _King_ Piccolo, the pyscho who tried to take over the world? Who would name there kid after that maniac?"

He ignored her comments. "My only other teacher was my father."

The raven-haired girl stopped in her tracks. Once again, it all came back to his father. Who was this man? First he was friends with a top-notch martial artist like Krillin, now he had taught Gohan, who was as strong as her, to fight. Could it be that this mysterious figure was another martial artist of the same caliber as Krillin? Was he even stronger? Was he as strong as her father? The thought seemed ludicrous, but who knew? Gohan had let on that his father did not live with the rest of the family. Perhaps he spent his time traveling and training. If so, it was conceivable that a man as strong as him could slip under the radar. Even if he didn't measure up to her dad, she suspected he was one of the strongest people on Earth.

Videl was getting excited. It seemed like she was finally getting somewhere. The prospect of potentially meeting this man someday was thrilling. She was so wrapped up in her speculations that she didn't notice Gohan's approach.

"Videl…_Videl_!" His shouts finally jerked girl back to reality. "Is something wrong?" he asked, looking at her with what appeared to be genuine concern.

"I-I'm fine," Videl sputtered, "I'm just surprised that your father is a fighter." That answer seemed to satisfy him, and the two of them resumed their walk down the dark streets of Satan City. As they reached an intersection, though, her curiosity was beginning to get the better of her. She needed to find out about Gohan's father now, no matter her original intentions.

"Who is your father? Is he strong? Where is he?" The words were out of her mouth before she could properly weigh the consequences of her decision. Oh well, it was going to happen eventually. Now, she would just have to roll with it and see how he reacted.

"I will tell you two things about my father, and after that I would appreciate it if you let it be." Gohan seemed to have anticipated her question and already prepared a response. There was a long pause as he let his words sink in. When she didn't object, he spoke again. "First, his name is Goku. Second, he is one of the kindest, most loving, most compassionate, and yes, strongest men to have ever lived."

"Goku," Videl muttered, "Son Goku." The name echoed around in the deep recesses of her mind. Something about it seemed familiar. As much as she tried, however, she could not place it. She shrugged the problem off for the moment, much too eager make the one request that she had been struggling to prevent from exploding past her lips unbidden. With great effort, she calmly and polite asked, "Do you think he would train me?"

"No." Gohan's quick answer left her reeling.

"What? Why not?" she demanded, but to no avail.

"I thought I asked you to let it be." The boy ignored her protests completely, instead setting off across the street as the light changed. Videl ran to catch up, but nothing she said could convince him to say anything more about his father. Eventually, she just gave up and they walked in silence the rest of the way back to Gohan's apartment. Each spent the 20-minute walk in their own thoughts—time that Videl spent fuming over the secrecy and the stubbornness of Gohan.

When they reached his building, Videl decapsulated her car and left it waiting on the curb as the she turned to bid Gohan goodnight. The two looked at each other for the first time since the silence had begun.

"I guess this is goodnight," Gohan spoke politely, "I would invite you inside, but I think I've learned my lesson. Sorry for any inconvenience I caused you."

Feeling slightly awkward, Videl replied, "Don't worry about it. It was mostly my fault anyway."

Her voice died and the two just looked at each other. If this was a normal date, Videl reflected, this was where the two might kiss. No sooner had that treacherous thought entered her head than she was abruptly struck by the desire for it to become a reality. All of a sudden, she could keenly feel Gohan's proximity—the slight warmth emanating from his body; his distinct, undeniably pleasing scent. She looked up into his strong, obsidian eyes glinting with the streetlights, but her eyes were drawn to his lips. For a few seconds she imagined what it would feel like for those lips to be on hers. Shivers ran up and down her spine. All she had to do was take one step and she would be in his arms. Just one step and she could…

In horror, Videl shook herself from her fantasy. "Goodnight!" she said shortly, got into car, and rode off. A puzzled Gohan was left in her wake.


	10. Revelations

**Back to school and with it, a new chapter. I particularly like this one for some reason. Enjoy and as always, please review.**

* * *

"So…how'd it go?" Those were the first words out of Erasa's mouth the next day at school. But the busybody blonde only received a grunt in response as Videl hurriedly grabbed a book from her locker and went to class.

That was what it was like all day—Erasa trying to draw her out and spill the beans about her date and Videl refusing to be baited. In fact, no one could get the Satan girl to speak. Not even Sharpner's lame come-ons and ridiculous claims that she was his "babe" could elicit any more than the weakest response. Satan City's favorite crime fighter was presently deaf to the world around her.

Finally, at lunch—Videl was absent, presumably on some task for the police—Sharpner turned to Gohan. "Your turn, nerd-boy! We tried, now you gotta snap Videl out of this."

Gohan, calm as ever, merely said, "Perhaps she would rather to be left alone for a while. I see no reason to interrupt her."

"Hmph!" Erasa interjected. "But she needs to tell me about your date. Unless of course," she looked at Gohan, "_You_ are willing to share some of the juicy details. After all, something must have happened to make her like this and I'd be willing to bet that it was the date. So…?"

The young Saiyan was not fazed by the teenaged girl's behavior, already expecting it by now. "We had dinner, talked, and walked back to my apartment where her limo was waiting to take her home. There's nothing else to tell."

"You're such a spoilsport. Of course there is!" Erasa chimed, "But I can see that you won't tell me, so I guess I'll just have to wait for Videl to come back down to Earth."

"Yeah," Sharpner couldn't help but butt in, "'Cause when she does, she'll realize that nerd-boy's nothing and that _I'm_ the one for her."

The others had a good laugh at that.

* * *

Meanwhile, Videl stood poised for action, crouched slightly in the stance she had been perfecting for over 10 years, in a makeshift sparring arena. Sharp, analytic eyes were trained on her opponent, daring him to drop his guard for a second. Every so often, however, those eyes would flicker—her inscrutable gaze would falter for just a moment. The change was subtle and lasted only a fraction of a second, but an experienced eye could easily pick up on it.

It was frustrating. She would need all her focus and concentration to overcome this opponent, yet she was distracted. Nothing she did could stop the thoughts of Gohan from popping into her head, not even the upcoming fight.

Son Gohan.

The name aroused a whirlwind of powerful, mostly contradictory emotions and feelings that she had never felt before. Anger, curiosity, anxiety, contentment, dislike, and maybe even attraction—it was all bundled up in a jumbled mess that made Videl's head spin. And her date had rattled her, especially its conclusion and the strange compulsion she had felt to…but no, she would not think about that. She had already decided over the weekend that the best thing to do was to push that parting moment out of her mind. She would not let herself get flustered over some petty attraction that meant nothing. Better to focus on more important things.

Videl was still furious with him for refusing to even consider her request to train with his father. Yet there was also a certain element of his response that piqued her curiosity more than anything else had before. She was now more determined than ever to find out about Gohan and his father—Son Goku, who she desired more than anything else to train her.

She would not be denied. Steeling herself, she charged at her opponent, determined to defy the odds and beat the answers she so craved out of Orange Star High's resident martial arts instructor.

Krillin watched her come, never batting an eye.

_10 minutes earlier_

"Ah, Videl! What a surprise!" Videl had hardly entered the gym when Krillin's friendly voice rang out over the surrounding noise.

Students from his last class were still dispersing for lunch. They showed some passing interest, but ultimately chose to satisfy their hunger over their curiosity. Krillin himself probably could have done without this interruption—he had been planning to fly back to the Kame house for a quick homemade lunch—but there was something about the Satan girl that intrigued him. She had fire. And she certainly seemed to have taken an interest in Gohan from what he had gathered. Talking with her could very well be worth missing a meal. It's not like he was a Saiyan, after all.

As the last stragglers trickled out of the gym, Krillin motioned Videl over to him. "So what can I do for you?" he asked.

This was it. She had spent all day planning what she would say to their gym teacher, rehearsing situation after situation in her head, weighing the merits of various approaches. Even now that the question was posed, Videl was still trying to decide how to go about getting the information she wanted.

"It's about Gohan, isn't it?" Krillin quickly brought an end to her indecision. Just like that, all of her intricately wrought plans to subtly bring up the subject were rendered useless.

"Yeah," Videl admitted after a brief hesitation, "Can you help me?"

"That depends. What do you want?"

"Well, I was hoping you could tell me as much as you know, especially about his father, Son Goku."

Krillin's eyes widened and he keeled over in a sudden coughing fit as the shock made him choke on his own spit. It took him a bit to recover. "How do you know about Goku?" he asked when he finally

"Gohan told me about him. Last weekend." That earned her an odd look.

"Gohan did?" Krillin spoke reflectively. He seemed much more serious and guarded than normal. "And what is your interest in Goku?"

Videl's heart rate rose slightly at the question. "Well, so much about Gohan's life seems to revolve around his father, but he won't talk about him at all. Every time a mention him, he gets all agitated. Plus, Gohan said that he was really strong. I was hoping that he could train me, but I don't know where he is or if he'd be willing to take me on. All I have is a name. Gohan said you and him were friends as kids, so I thought that you might be able to help me find him, maybe even recommend me to him."

Krillin listened thoughtfully to her explanation. Once she had completed it, he sighed. This girl was treading in dangerous territory. He would have to be careful. He didn't want to reveal anything that Gohan didn't want her to know. Though the demi-Saiyan would never kill him, he could cause him a whole lot of trouble if he wanted to, and not just physically. Best to avoid annoying a person who, besides being the most powerful being in the universe, also happened to know his wife and a whole lot of ... ahem … sensitive information.

"Okay," he announced, decision made, "Let's make a deal. If you can defeat me in a sparring match, I'll tell you everything I know." _This oughta get her off my back_.

Having, obviously, agreed to his terms, Videl now was flying through the air towards Krillin's head, attempting to end the match quickly with an aerial kick. At the last minute, however, her target nimbly spun away to get behind her, and, as she was trying to regain her balance, pushed her firmly towards the edge of the ring. It wasn't enough to send her out, but it did succeed in aggravating her. She spun around quickly and saw Krillin grinning.

"Never give your opponent that big of an opening," he advised, "Moves like that leave you wide open for attack. They may work on weaklings who are either too intimidated or too incompetent to take advantage of them, but against those who are equally or more skilled than you, they can be a fatal mistake."

Videl did not like being patronized. Enraged, the raven-haired Satan child let out a barrage of anger-laden punches and kicks that would have laid flat most ordinary humans. Krillin, however, was no ordinary human. He could have taken every one of those blows and not felt any pain at all, but he chose instead to move with almost inhuman speed and let each and every one of her vicious attacks miss by the slightest of margins. As she began to slow, he masterfully maneuvered himself behind her and gave her another shove.

As she stumbled away, he again instructed her, "Keep a clear head. Never let your anger interfere with your judgment or technique."

Videl was furious now. He was treating it all like a game. Why had he challenged her at all if he was going to act like it was nothing more than a training match? Completely ignoring Krillin's advice, she lashed out with all her pent-up rage in a lightning-fast, devastating punch. When he did not appear to be able to dodge in time, hope began to rise that she had finally bested him. Her fist sped towards her teacher's chest, only to be stopped short by Krillin's palm.

It felt like hitting concrete.

He had stopped her most powerful punch with one hand, and appeared to have done so with only the slightest of effort. She used her other arm to push harder, but to no avail. No matter how much weight and strength she used to push against him, Krillin's arm would not budge. She might as well have been pushing against a wall, and his arm was not even locked! She was now trembling with a mixture of awe and fear. Who was this man? Did she really have this far to go? She had little time to ponder these things, however, as Krillin spun her around and shoved her, much harder than before, clear out of the ring.

The match was over and with it Videl's hopes of being trained by Son Goku.

"Looks like I won," Krillin observed with his hands behind his head.

Videl had gotten up from the little roughing-up Krillin had given her, but still sat hunched over, face to the floor. Her body was only minimally damaged, but it felt like her will to go on had been crushed. She had been defeated, as soundly and easily as one would a toddler. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined anyone could be that precise, that quick, and that strong. It shook her to the core. She had come so far, spent the last 10 years of her life in constant intense training to become the best, only to find she was so far outclassed by someone she just met a week ago. How much farther did she need to go? And how would she make it now that she had no chance of being trained by Son Goku? But no, she would not give up. She still had a chance … She looked up.

"Krillin-sensei, will _you_ train me?" Videl pleaded.

Krillin looked at her funnily. "Why would you want that?"

"Because you are so much stronger than me. I want to get stronger."

"Why?"

"To be the best," Videl recalled saying the same thing to Gohan that night, in response to the very same question, in fact.

"And you think me training you would allow you to achieve that."

"Of course. You are the strongest person I've ever faced. If I want to be the best, I have to train with the best."

"Hmm." Krillin almost wished he could help her—she was so determined and spirited—but Eighteen would kill him if he spent even more time away from home, especially if it didn't bring in any extra cash, so… "Sorry, Videl. You are right, and I admire your determination, but I just don't have the time. I have a family that I need to get home to every day. You're going to have to find someone else."

"But—"

"I'm sorry, but it just won't work. If you really want to get stronger, I recommend you try to get Gohan to help you."

"He won't do it. He refuses to fight at all. Besides, he said that you were stronger."

Krillin was intrigued by Videl's revelation that Gohan would not fight. _So something really is wrong with Gohan, _he thought,_ To outright refuse to fight is…not a good sign. He's half Saiyan after all. Their every instinct is to fight. What could have gone wrong?_

"Well, in any case, Gohan is your best option. He may not be as strong as me, but he could still make you many times stronger…if, that is, you can convince him to train you."

"And how do you propose I do that?" Videl asked, frustrated.

"You're going to have to figure that out on your own, unfortunately," Krillin told her with a slight grin on his face, but quickly sobered up, "I don't know what exactly is going on with Gohan, but something tells me you may have trouble persuading him to help. So I will give you two pieces of advice. One, be patient. If you push too hard, it will only make things worse. Two, if your only goal is to be the strongest, you might have a hard time convincing him. I suggest you rethink your motives. Don't lie, though—he'll be able to tell."

Videl dutifully absorbed his words. If Gohan was her only remaining choice, she would do everything she could to get him to train her. Krillin knew Gohan better than anyone else she knew, so this was valuable information.

"Thank you, sensei," she said sincerely, already thinking of how she would go about approaching Gohan.

"No problem. In the meantime, though, Gohan has been helping you with meditation, right?" Videl nodded. "Don't disregard that. Learning to control your emotions in a battle is a vital skill. You must be able to analyze your opponent with a clear mind no matter the situation…or how they act."

Videl wanted to protest, but took the rebuke silently. She realized he was right: she had lost her cool and fought sloppily as a result. So she simply thanked him once again, and turned to leave.

Before she left the gym, however, Krillin called her back, "Wait!" He considered the wisdom of what he was about to say, but in the end decided it was for the best. He just hoped it didn't come back to bite him in the butt. "You wanted to know about Gohan's father, right?"

"Yeah…" Videl said, hopeful but unsure of where he was going with this.

"I am going to tell you one thing about Goku, but you have to promise me that after this, you won't mention him again—at least until Gohan himself brings him up. Can you do that?"

She considered his condition. She didn't like the idea of having to wait for Gohan to tell her what she wanted to know on his own. Still, any bit of information was good, and there was no guarantee she would be able to get Gohan to tell her anything else. Plus, she was curious what one thing Krillin would find important enough to tell her even though she had lost. In the end, it was worth the risk, she decided.

"Fine, but it better be something important. Otherwise, deals off."

"That's fine." Krillin paused.

"Well?" Videl prodded, growing impatient.

"The reason Goku cannot train you is because…" He looked down somberly. "He's gone."

"Gone, as in…?"

"He's dead."

Videl was stunned. He was … dead? But Gohan had spoken as if he was still alive. Still, so much made sense if it was true. It would explain a lot of Gohan's behavior, and it fit everything that he had told her about him—including why he wouldn't train her. Her heart sunk. She should be happy—she had solved a major piece of the puzzle—but she instead felt ashamed. Videl could imagine all too well how all her pushing and prodding must have made him feel. Whenever someone asked about her mother…

"How?" she managed to ask, but Krillin simply shook his head.

"No more questions. The answers you want are Gohan's to give. You'll just have to wait until he's ready. I only told you this to discourage you from digging too deep."

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Soon, students would begin to file in for gym class. The conversation was over.


	11. Crumbling Foundations

**I'm updating a lot sooner than I expected. Two reasons: 1) This is a slightly shorter chapter than usual. 2) Classes just started, so there's little homework and lot's of free time. Please enjoy and be sure to review! I love encouragement, I love advice, and I even love critiques. It all spurs me to write more.**

* * *

The moment Gohan walked into class the next day, he could sense a change in Videl. He could feel her eyes watching him intently as he went to take his seat. The way she was staring at him…it was as in a way he had never seen before. It was unnerving. As he sat down, he did his best to ignore it, but could not shake the feeling that his every word, act, and mannerism was being observed and analyzed.

But that was not the only abnormality in Videl's behavior. What seemed even stranger to Gohan was her sudden change in attitude. Whereas before she had always exuded fierce determination, absolute confidence, and a combative, almost hostile front; now she seemed decidedly less aggressive. He had never seen her so…subdued before. Everything, from her posture to the look in her eyes, was different from the Videl he knew. Even her stare was less penetrating and more reflective, cautious. What could have happened? Was this still about their date, or was it something else entirely?

She greeted him with a simple "Hey, Gohan," and he responded in kind.

There was definitely something wrong. Her voice carried a hint of something. Sadness? Depression? Regret? Uncertainty? Some kind of mixture of these? He couldn't tell, but whatever it was, he was sure he had never heard it before.

Erasa, never one to be quiet, started chattering endlessly. Half of the time she spent making ridiculous suggestions about their date, while the other half she spent prattling on about…whatever Erasa talks about. Shopping, boys, gossip, clothes, shopping, clothes, and more shopping—Videl and Gohan ignored it all, not that Erasa would ever notice.

Soon, the teacher began to lecture, and though Gohan tried to pay attention, he could not keep his mind off the Videl's bizarre change. He had sensed her and Krillin together during lunch the previous day. Could that have something to do with it? By the flaring in their ki, he guessed that they had fought each other—for what reason he had no idea—but that did little to explain Videl's strange behavior.

Still, there had to be a reason. He knew that her clandestine visit with Krillin was most likely another one of her attempts to dig up information about him. At the time, he'd been unconcerned. After all, he could trust Krillin not to reveal anything sensitive…or so he thought. Had she actually been able to learn something significant from Krillin? Gohan supposed that it was a possibility, at least. He'd have to speak with Krillin after class to find out what he had said to her.

In any case, Gohan would need to be on his guard. Perhaps the cause of all this was completely benign, but just in case, he could not afford to be lax. No matter what Videl had or had not discovered, he did not believe for a second it would placate her for more than a short while. Their pseudo-date had only confirmed that the tenacious girl would not stop until she had uncovered every one of his secrets and more. In particular, her interest in his father was especially troublesome because, despite all his efforts to the contrary, he was ill-suited for dealing with that subject.

Class could not have ended sooner. As soon as the bell rang, Gohan jumped from his seat, leaving his fellow classmates in the dust as he rushed to get his business with Krillin done quickly. With a quick flick of his senses, he checked to confirm the location of his old friend, and set off hastily to confront him, masking his own energy just in case—couldn't have the little weasel trying to slip away.

His progress was hindered by the bustling students that came pouring into the hallways. Rather than wait for his classmates as they unhurriedly meandered to their lockers and classes, chatting with their friends the whole way, Gohan weaved expertly through the mass of students as he advanced towards his goal. A couple of turns and a minute later, Gohan burst into the teachers' lounge, finding it empty, surprisingly, but for the one man he had come to see—Krillin.

The Z-fighter casually glanced up from his magazine at the sound of the door, and immediately shot up as he recognized Gohan. _So soon? I thought I'd at least have until the end of the day._ Startled as he was by the sudden intrusion, he could only choke out nervously, "Hey, Gohan! What can I do ya for?"

Gohan did not have the time to beat around the bush. If he didn't hurry, he'd be late for class, something which he found distasteful on principle, though he would not be deterred if it proved necessary.

"What did you tell Videl?" he demanded. He was still not positive that Krillin had, in fact, told Videl anything, but he wanted to keep his friend on his toes and pretend like he was. That way, he'd get the information he wanted faster.

"Wh-What are you talking about?" Krillin struggled to keep the guilty stammer out of his voice, but to no avail. He had already given himself away to the hyper-perceptive Saiyan. Gohan had no need to speak; his withering look did the job just as well. "Okay, okay," Krillin relented, "We sparred—I'm guessing you already knew that—and then I talked with her a bit. I just got her to lay off your back a little."

"And how did you do that?"

"I just told her to be patient."

"I see." Gohan was unconvinced. None of what Krillin had told him so far explained Videl's behavior. His old friend was clearly trying to hide something. "Anything else?" he prodded.

"Well … you see I … it's just that I uh …"

"Krillin, what did you tell Videl?" Gohan asked again deliberately.

Krillin gulped and fidgeted with his fingers. "I told her about your father—that he's … you know …"

Just like that the pieces all fit together—Videl's stares, her attitude, the tone in her voice—it was pity, or at least mostly. Gohan supposed that he should be relieved that it was something so trivial compared to the many other secrets he guarded. And he was. But as his mind cycled through the implications of it all, everything came crashing down. Krillin's words, combined with the thought of Videl's pity-filled face that morning, it all made the death of his father intensely real—as if once again he had watched his father give up his life in front of his very eyes.

A torrent of memories and self-condemnation poured down and weighed on him heavier than any physical load he had ever lifted. Trying and failing to stem the tide and free his mind from the suffocating weight and focus on the situation at hand, he turned to leave, completely oblivious to the presence of his friend.

"Wait, Gohan!" Krillin called and grabbed his shoulder. The boy stopped but otherwise did not acknowledge him. "Look, I don't know exactly what's going on, Gohan—why you had that ki suppressor put it, why you won't fight anymore—but this has got to stop. Goku's death was not your fault. Do you hear me?"

Krillin's voice seemed muddled to Gohan's jumbled mind. And as the meaning began to clarify, the dam burst. Image after image of that night 11 years ago flashed vividly through his mind on a continual, torturous loop—being called to finish what his father could not, reveling in his power and toying with Cell, the psychotic android threatening to blow up the earth, his father looking at him for the last time, his face, his words, his voice. The pain was immense. Fighting back tears, he almost forgot to respond. When he did, his throat was so constricted his voice came out as barely a whisper:

"Yes, Krillin, it was." He shrugged out of Krillin's hold and disappeared into the busy hallway.

If Gohan hurried, he could make it to class just on time. But at the moment, he could not bear the thought. He wanted to be away from the oppressive presence of other people. So instead of going to Calculus, he turned towards the front entrance of the school. Telling the office staff that he was not feeling well—which was true enough—he retreated back to his apartment.


	12. Collapse

**Sorry it took me a while for this to get up. Haven't had much time for writing lately. On the bright side, this is my longest chapter yet. Enjoy!**

* * *

Two days after Gohan's mysterious departure, Videl left school and headed not towards Satan mansion but towards the Satan Apartment Complex, where her new classmate lived. He had already missed three days of school including the day he had left after first period, so she had volunteered to bring him his missed homework, not because she was concerned the brainiac would fall behind, but because she was curious about his unusual absences. The most logical explanation was that he was sick, but Gohan had seemed perfectly fine that morning.

She also wanted the chance to talk with him. The two hadn't spoken once since her conversation with Krillin. That needed to change. She wanted first and foremost to ask him to train her, but there was also too much she didn't know or understand that she hoped he might enlighten for her.

It took little time to reach the Satan Apartment building. Videl immediately entered and took the left hallway, stopping at unit 102. Taking a steadying breath, she knocked politely and waited … and waited. Thinking he might not have heard her knock, she again rapped on the door and yelled, "Gohan! It's me, Videl. Are you there?" Still no answer. Confused, Videl turned to leave—and ran straight into Gohan.

Papers scattered onto the floor as she lost her grip on Gohan's homework. Embarrassed, she bent down to pick them up, not daring to look into his onyx eyes. Gohan also knelt and offered his help, but she assured him she could do it herself. As Videl finished putting everything in order, Gohan asked, "What brings you here, Videl?"

"I was, uh, bringing you the homework you missed," she replied, holding out the clump of papers she had just picked up.

"Oh." He took the proffered papers. "Thank you."

"No problem," Videl answered, but did not leave, as one would expect if delivering the homework was her only errand.

As the silence drew out, Gohan finally offered, almost reluctantly it seemed, "Would you like to come inside?" She nodded, and Gohan drew out his key to open the door. Swinging the door inward, he led the way inside. Dropping off the homework Videl had brought on his desk, he made his way to the kitchen area. "Would you like some tea?" he offered.

"Sure…" Videl answered hesitantly and sat on his couch. She waited silently as Gohan prepared the tea, all the while wondering why this seemingly perfectly healthy person had missed almost three full days of school. Within a few minutes, he joined her on the other end of the couch and handed Videl her tea. His own mug he kept wrapped in his hands.

"It's hot," he warned as he took a sip. Videl tested it, but found that it was indeed too hot for her taste. Setting it aside for the moment, she sat back and looked at her host, reflecting on her visit.

Sitting there with Gohan—him sipping his tea and herself wanting to get answers—it felt extraordinarily familiar to her previous visit almost three weeks ago, and yet somehow it felt entirely different at the same time. She now knew so much more about the mystery boy that, though much remained that she had yet to discover, it now seemed almost like she was visiting not a suspect, but an old friend.

Ever since Krillin told her about Gohan's father, something had clicked, like somehow the common grief each had over the loss of one of their parents connected them. Much like when she had met his eyes for those brief moments that day—a day which seemed an eternity ago when in reality it had been barely more than two weeks—she was finding herself inexorably drawn to Gohan. What was more, strange as it was, there had developed some fundamental level of trust between them that ran deeper than conscious thought. Of course, she was still a bit impatient and suspicious—it was who she was—and she was as determined as ever to learn all she could about the guy, but it no longer seemed as vital.

"So," Gohan began the conversation, "Why did you really come here?" His tone was not rude in the slightest, but there seemed to be a slight edge to his voice that stunned Videl for a moment. Seeing her struggling to find her tongue, Gohan explained, "While I appreciate you bringing my missed work, I know you wouldn't come just for something like that. Are you going to tell me or are you going to make me guess?"

"Right," Videl finally said, "Well, for one thing, I wanted to know why you haven't been at school. You don't look sick, and you weren't in your apartment when I got here so there must be some other reason. And for that matter, where were you just now if you weren't at school?"

As she finished speaking, Gohan swallowed the tea he was drinking and set his mug on the coffee table. "I'm afraid I can't help you, Videl."

"But—"

"I have been absent for personal reasons. That is all I'll say. As for where I was, I was at work."

"And that would be where?" Videl prompted.

Gohan completed ignored her question, however. "Was there anything else you needed?"

Videl frowned. Gohan definitely seemed a bit different somehow. While his voice remained even, it seemed decidedly less patient. It felt like he was really on edge, as if beneath the smooth exterior there lay something far less tranquil—a furious storm threatening to break out at any moment. Videl did not know the cause of his agitation—though if she had to guess she would say it had something to do with his father—but she was reluctant to cause him anymore anxiety, so she went along with his change of subject.

Of course, that brought her to her major request, one that she was fairly certain he would not particularly like. She remembered the look in his eyes when he had declared he would not fight her. Just thinking about it again, she shuddered. Yes, she remembered it well. Something told her he'd be extremely unwilling to consider training her officially. Still, she had to ask, right? That, after all, was the primary reason she had come.

As she tried to work up the nerve, she picked up her rapidly cooling tea and took the first of many sips. The silence stretched out as the two teens sat focused on their beverages. During the pause, Videl toyed with various ways to approach and phrase her question, but in the end favored the direct approach, something that had worked for her many times in the past.

Some minutes later, she finally spoke.

"Will you train me?"

Gohan visibly tensed.

* * *

_Will you train me?_ The question reverberated through his mind so powerfully that she might as well have screamed it at him. That was one of the worst questions for him to hear at that moment. Every muscle in his entire body clenched at the very mention of the word "train." It brought back so many images of his time with his father…

Ever since he had come home from his talk with Krillin, he had been an emotional wreck. Trying to fight off the onslaught of memories that he had sought to suppress for so many years, he spent the entire first day in meditation in a futile attempt to wrest himself from the overpowering guilt and sorrow that held him and regain control of his emotions. However, every time the storm abated and everything seemed to be returning to normal, Gohan would think of Videl—the way she had looked at him and spoken with pity in her voice—and fall right back into a sea of shame and self-loathing.

The next day, he tried something different, deciding to find something to distract him from his problems. Training had always been his outlet in the past. Unfortunately, every thought of martial arts reminded him of his father, so that was now impossible. Nor could he go to school and risk an encounter with Krillin, or worse, Videl. Thus, he instead returned to work at Capsule Corp, attempting to lose himself in the mundane with this project and that, putting every bit of his mental capacity into his job, thereby diverting it from less pleasant areas. It worked, too, at least until the day ended and he had to return to his apartment. Then his torment began all over again with renewed vigor.

That brought him up to the current day, when he slept in past noon for the first time in recent memory. Nothing else had worked, so he turned to sleep to try to hide from the pain. When he finally awoke, he felt physically refreshed but emotionally exhausted. The pain was still there, but what had before been sharp pangs had dulled into low throbs. With some hope that he could work past this phase, he decided to head to Capsule Corp again, even if he was late, only to sense Chi-Chi and Goten already there as he approached. Not wanting to deal with them at that moment, he returned only to find Videl knocking at his door.

Now here he was with the persistent raven-haired girl who was managing to severely rock what limited stability he had managed to create over the previous three days.

"Will you train me?" Videl repeated when Gohan did not respond right away.

"Videl, I—" he started, but he could hardly speak, let alone think of how to let her down gently.

As if expecting him to refuse at first, Videl preempted him. "Please, Gohan. I want to get stronger, and you're the only person who can help me." Videl was practically begging, something Gohan would not have thought possible for her to do. If circumstances had been different, he would have gladly trained the spirited girl, but as it was, the pain was just too great.

"I can't," he said at last, staring at the floor between his legs. He expected to hear a string of objections from the precocious girl, but was instead met by silence. Glancing up, his eyes locked with Videl's for an instant. In in that brief flash of azure brilliance he saw exactly what he had seen earlier that week, what he had seen from so many others—pity. What before had brought the stable world he had created for himself crashing down now made a deeply disturbed Gohan angry, no, furious—at his father for leaving him, at Cell for destroying his world, at Videl for barging into his life, but mostly at himself, for causing it all to happen because of his stupid arrogance.

"I don't need your pity, Videl," he said, his voice low and shaky. He rose to take his near-empty mug back to the kitchen. He just wanted to be alone. Part of him wanted to just scream at Videl to go away, but he knew better.

Instead, he took a second to steady himself. Rational thought was quickly losing ground against raw emotion once again as the stabbing pain of grief started to grow. He didn't know why this girl affected him so much, but he was anxious to have her leave.

Videl had yet to say anything in response. Turning around, he saw that she was staring at him, mouth parted slightly in surprise, with a stunned look on her face, as if what he had said was the last thing she would expect to from his mouth.

"I think it's best you leave," he told her, hoping she would take the hint and just go. He didn't like to be rude, but he was currently having a difficult time being civil at all. Still, he didn't really expect someone as persistent as Videl to give up and go away just because he told her to. Thus, he was surprised when Videl did just that. She stood up, thanked him for the tea, and turned to leave.

On her way out the door, though, she paused. With her back still towards him, she called back, "Gohan!"

Videl turned her head back and smiled peculiarly. It was a sad sort of smile—lips only slightly upturned and melancholic eyes filled with concern. Yet interlaced within the sadness were flickers of hope that sparkled across her countenance—as if happiness lay just around the corner. Gohan, caught by her piercing gaze, saw not pity, as he expected, but something else—compassion, maybe? No, it was beyond that. Somehow, gazing into those shimmering pools was like looking into his own soul. It was a warm smile of understanding. It was a kind smile of a friend. And it was a smile that lifted Gohan's spirit to heights it had not been in many years. Right then and there, the sun was rising on a new age, warming his face with its first few tentative rays. His anguish ceased as he basked in their warmth. He no longer felt alone.

"See you at school!" Videl said, and she was gone. Just like that the sun vanished behind the horizon, and darkness returned to enveloped Gohan within its murky depths.

* * *

The whir of the jet copter engine and the whipping of the wind drowned out all noise except the radio built into Videl's helmet. Unless the police called with an emergency that she needed to take care of, no one would disturb her as she soared high in the sky with no particular destination in mind. Thousands of people no bigger than ants filled the miniature Satan City below her. It was a breathtaking view, but her mind was preoccupied. As was becoming increasingly common as of late, her thoughts all revolved around a single person: Son Gohan.

"I don't need your pity," Gohan had said, revealing that he knew Videl had learned of his father. Videl could hear the deep intensity in his voice, the powerful emotion that lay underneath it. It had stunned her in a way that little else could.

How many times had she said those exact words to her classmates, her friends, even her own father? All the consolations, kind words, and attempts to cheer her up—they felt sorry for her, but that did not change anything. Her mother was dead. They were only making it worse.

When she heard Gohan say the same thing to her, she saw clearly underneath—not merely grief over his father's death, but a vast amount of pain and anger that ran far deeper. It was the same kind of mental anguish she lived in for years and felt remnant of even today. Seeing it in Gohan stopped her short.

She of course had felt the urge to help in some way, but she well remembered the way she had been. Mere kind words would do nothing but drive him away. She would have to know the whole situation before she could even begin to figure out what might work. Unfortunately, she couldn't risk going to Krillin this time; Gohan might find out again.

The image of the grief-stricken boy stuck in her head. As she watched him struggle to maintain his composure, she had made her decision. Abandoning her quest to have him train her, she did as he had asked and left. She would give Gohan space. But as she went away, she couldn't resist the urge to look back one more time at the sad boy. And as she said her last goodbyes, she smiled. She didn't know why; she wasn't happy at all, but somehow looking at Gohan made her feel warm despite his grim expression.

So, not wanting to return home just yet, she had taken to the skies to think. She was determined to help Gohan in whatever way she could. Even after an hour of flying, however, she still had nothing. Try as she might, she could not think of anything that she could do to help the hurting boy.

What she did know, however, was that she would have to stop pushing him to tell her his secrets. Continuing to ask him to train her was out of the picture as well, unfortunately. The thought of having to walk on eggshells like that, even if it was temporarily, made Videl feel uneasy, though. She was unsure how long she could resist prying into Gohan's life. She just wasn't the passive sort of girl.

_Ugh! _she groaned to herself. This was going to be hard, but she would be patient. She would wait … at least until she figured something else out.

* * *

Gohan stood in his apartment, glued to the same spot he had been in since Videl had left ten minutes ago. His fists clenched until his knuckles turned white, then relaxed for a few moments before again tightening to a vise-grip in a continuous cycle. His eyes were still fixed on the door as if he half expected the girl to come through the door again any second.

Oppressive darkness toyed at the edge of his vision, threatening to completely consume him. He clung to the fading light—the image of her face, that bittersweet smile that simultaneously shattered his heart and restored his soul in an instant. He would picture Videl standing at the door once again, smiling back at him, and would immediately feel twenty tons lighter. It was a temporary relief, however, for the weight soon returned as the image faded and he was left longing for the real thing.

Eventually, something shifted. The heavy pressure finally lifted and while he still felt terrible, his mind began to function somewhat normally.

Gohan lifted his hand to his cheek, startled to find them wet with fresh tears. _What is wrong with me?_ he thought. The last time he had cried had been the day his father died. Now, just because a girl smiled at him, tears once again flowed unbidden? It was ridiculous, but it was the truth.

Sighing, Gohan finally uprooted himself from his spot and cleaned up the tea. Once everything was in order, he tried to do some homework as a distraction. An hour later, he closed his books in frustration. He couldn't concentrate enough to get any work done. He felt inexplicably tired, as if the tears he'd shed had taken with them most of his energy. Though he knew it was a bit late for a nap, he finally yielded to his exhaustion and went to his room. Setting his alarm to wake him for dinner, he collapsed on his bed.

The blaring sound of his alarm clock shook him awake almost an hour later at 5:30. Fighting off the temptation to go back to sleep, he rolled himself out of bed and went into the main room. Still groggy, he squinted at the few beams of sunlight that still shone through the windows. A few quick stretches helped finish waking him up. He felt much less tired, but a veil of depression still covered him.

Hunger prompted him towards the kitchen. A quick peak in the refrigerator revealed little to eat, and he couldn't muster up the effort to cook. So he decided to eat out instead, hoping a walk in the fresh air would also help clear his head and work through what had happened that afternoon.

Unfortunately, the crowded streets of Satan City and the noisy atmosphere of the restaurant offered few opportunities to think. He sat and ate his meal alone as the din of the noisy patrons washed over him. When he returned his stomach was satisfied, but his mind was still confused.

Once back in his apartment, Gohan tackled his homework yet again, finding it easier to concentrate this time around. The problems were all simple, however, leaving most of his mind free to wander. At first, his thoughts were filled with sweet remembrances of the time spent with his father training, fishing, napping, eating. But these lasted only a short time before they were slammed down by the bitter memory of the Cell Games and the nauseating sense of failure that had become all too familiar.

Feeling sick, Gohan finished up his homework, and got ready to go to bed. It was still early, but he was still exhausted from the two previous nights of nightmares. Crawling into bed, he closed his eyes, shutting out the world around him, but images of the past still danced behind his eyelids. Even that, though, could not overcome the strong tug of sleep as fatigue overwhelmed him. He just hoped he didn't have another nightmare…

_Gohan stood in black, empty space. Surrounded by nothing, cold, and alone, he called out for his daddy. But instead of Goku, faces of all the enemies from his past spiraled around him. And they were yelling at him, mocking him for his weakness, gloating over his failures. Nappa, Vegeta, Frieza, Cell—all laughing at him. He closed his eyes and covered his hears to try to drown them out, but he could still see their faces and hear their voices in his head._

_Then, all of a sudden, everything went silent. Looking around, he saw something else. Filling his vision entirely was the shadowy image of Videl, smiling at him. Everywhere he turned, there was her face. It haunted every corner of his consciousness so that there was nowhere he could run, nowhere he could escape her gaze._

_Suddenly, the ground he was standing on lit up. Now he could see that he was at the battlefield of the Cell Games. Crushed boulders and debris littered the ground, and deep holes scarred the rocky terrain. As Gohan took in his surroundings, suddenly he noticed a body on the ground in front of him, char marks and blood staining his orange gi._

"_Dad!" he cried out, and ran to the body, but an invisible wall stopped him just as he was about to gather him in his arms. Try as he might, he could not bridge those last few inches to touch his fallen father. "Dad…" he groaned, tears streaming from his face now._

_Flashes of light danced at his peripheral vision. Turning, he saw Videl once again. This time she was normal-sized and with a body to accompany her face. A slight glow glittered off her features, emanating from the every-present smile. And behind her, the world faded into a long, dark tunnel filled with every trap and pitfall his imagination could conjure up._

_Videl turned to walk slowly into the abysmal tunnel, her gaze never leaving Gohan. Her smile constantly tempted him to join her and run wildly into this place he had never been before. Her smile pierced his soul, beckoning him to follow her down this long, dark tunnel in a journey of which he knew not the length or even the destination._

_But at the end of the tunnel, what seemed an eternity away, a light glowed. It was faint, yet it possessed a radiant beauty that seized his attention and pulled at his very being. He could feel its force, drawing him onward, away from his father, away from the battlefield. Its allure was powerful, but so was his fear and his reluctance to leave his dad, the world's true savior._

_The choice was clear: follow Videl and face whatever he found on the foreboding path in front of him, or remain at his father's side and hope to find a way to break through the barrier. His foot lifted…_

Gohan awoke, heart pounding and breathing raggedly. Thirsty, he went to get a glass of water while he tried to process his dream—or was it a nightmare? Whatever it was, it was confusing and unexpected, although he supposed he shouldn't be surprised that Videl would work her way into one of his dreams after the previous day.

Looking at the clock, he saw that it was still very early, just a bit past five in the morning. However, at the moment, he couldn't imagine going to bed. So instead, he changed into some running clothes, and set out for a morning jog as he thought through his dream.

He returned a half an hour later after finishing his standard 10 mile run. Though his mind was still a little foggy, one thing had become clear to him.

He was going to school.


	13. Baby Steps

So I've had a bit of trouble uploading this chapter, but it's finally here! Sorry for all the false alerts.

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or any of its characters

**Baby Steps**

Two hours later, Gohan was walking through the familiar halls of Orange Star High School for the first time in days. Noisy adolescents surrounded him on all sides, barraging him with their often obnoxious voices, but Gohan barely noticed. All his concentration was focused on a single person—Videl.

He cast about for her ki, but despite his incredibly attuned senses, he could not sense her anywhere in or near the school. She was not there, a fact which upset Gohan. She was probably just late, or had gotten called in by the police, but none of those explanations curbed his disappointment and increasing longing to see her. With nothing else to do, he headed to homeroom and took his seat, anxiously waiting for the petite firecracker to show up.

His eyes scanned through the students filing into class, more to give him something proactive to do than to actually increase his chances of finding Videl. He examined every black-haired girl that came through the doors, but none of them were Videl. Pretty soon, the flow of students slowed, and there was still no sign of her. He was still trying to find her energy, but she seemed to be too far away for him to sense her tiny power.

"Gohan!" Erasa's cheery voice drew his attention away from searching for Videl.

"Hi, Erasa," he said, turning to face his friend, more out of politeness than a particular desire to speak with the excitable blonde at that moment.

"Where have you been, cutie?" She winked at him.

Sighing inwardly at her shameless flirtation, he replied, "I wasn't feeling well." It was true enough. He didn't want to dwell on that subject, though. Changing the subject, he asked casually, "Do you know where Videl is?"

That was clearly the wrong question to ask.

"What's your sudden interest in Videl?" she teased, a devilish smile peeking through her normally innocent features. "Is there something I should know about?"

"Yeah, nerd-boy," Sharpner butted in from behind them, "Why should you care about my girl?"

Normally, such insinuations wouldn't have bothered him. Now, though, what had before been a completely off-base suggestion held just enough truth to make his ears burn. He tried not to let his friends see his discomfort, but that was hard.

"It's nothing. I just wanted to ask her something," he told them, hoping they'd be oblivious enough not to notice anything.

Sharpner huffed and turned away, but Erasa continued to look at him for an uncomfortably long time. Just as Gohan was about ready to look away in discomfort, she finally spoke, "Alright, Gohan. I'll buy that … for now." She wagged her finger at him. "But don't think you're off the hook, mister. I still—"

The bell rung, and the various conversations around the room died down as the teacher stood up to teach. Gohan turned to listen to the lesson.

Erasa, though, didn't let up. "I know something's up," she whispered, "Whatever's going on, I'll figure it out eventually, you know."

"Miss Erasa!" the teacher suddenly shouted, "Is there something you would like to share with the class?"

"No, sir," she answered.

"Then please leave Mr. Son alone and pay attention," he scolded and resumed teaching in his normal, nearly monotone voice.

Gohan was thankful for the teacher's intervention, but at that point, it didn't really matter. Now he had two suspicious girls on his hands. The thought of their combined efforts to pry into his life made him cringe. Surprisingly, of the two, Erasa made him more nervous. At least with Videl, he didn't have to worry about everything he said or did somehow becoming the gossip of the town.

Of course, there was also the matter of his dream. No, Videl no longer seemed so bad at all.

That brought him back full circle. Where was Videl? He went back to searching the surrounding area for Videl, not bothering to pay attention to the lecture. He had probably already learned everything the teachers might say.

By the middle of third period calculus, Videl had still not shown up, and Gohan was beginning to worry. Had something happened while she was helping the police? He was confident she could handle most every criminal in the city if it came to a fight, but she was not bulletproof. What if she'd been caught on unawares, or was outnumbered, and … and … Gohan felt a gnawing sickness deep in his gut as his imagination provided him with gruesome images of the horrific possibilities. Panicking, he was just about to jump out of his seat and rush to save her from meeting any such end when the class door burst open and in walked none other than Videl Satan.

Gohan let out his pent up breath as relief swept over him. Her black pigtails were disheveled and her face slightly flushed, but Videl was most certainly alive. Looking back, he felt quite silly for getting so worked up over vain imaginings that had not basis in reality. Still, he was worried about what could happen in the future if Videl continued to risk her life on a daily basis.

There was little time to consider that, however. Videl took her seat with a deep scowl on her face. Erasa and Sharpner weren't in that class, so she sat right next to him. Gohan wanted to lean over and ask what was wrong, but didn't think during class was the best time to try to have a conversation. Lunch was right after class. He'd just have to wait until then.

He tried to meditate to pass the time, but his curiosity and anxiousness was just too much to tame. Instead, he resigned himself to watching the clock. He struggled not to fidget as the seconds ticked by at an agonizingly slow pace.

At last, the shrill ring of the bell dismissed class and everyone quickly put away their things so they could go eat. Videl, who had not bothered to unpack anything for the small portion of class she was present for, immediately zipped away, much to Gohan's exasperation.

He followed her out as fast as he could, soon losing sight of the short girl in the sea of students pouring into the hallways. Using her ki signature as a beacon, he slowly waded through the mass of bodies in pursuit of his elusive prey. But no matter how fast he fast he went or how many turns he took, he never seemed to get any closer.

Eventually, he followed her up the stairs and to the 4th floor of the school. As he reached the top of the stairs, he was immediately confronted with a pair of large doors. He had never been to this part of the school before, but he had been told it held an extensive gym with state of the art equipment, which he guessed lay behind these doors.

He started to push in the door and talk with Videl, but then he noticed her elevated ki. It was steadily rising with occasional sharp spikes in a sure sign of intense physical effort. As much as Gohan wanted to see Videl, he was reluctant to interrupt her workout. It reminded him of all the times he had taken out his frustration with his own training. Physical exertion might be the best thing for Videl at the moment. He could wait.

With that resolved for the moment, he left to eat lunch with his Erasa and Sharpner. As he sat down with them in their usual spot, the blonde duo asked him about Videl.

"She's here," he told them, "She's upstairs in the gym."

"That's weird," Erasa said, "She doesn't usually go there during school. Oh, Videl! Always so obsessed with training!"

"How do you even know Videl is in the gym, anyway?" Sharpner questioned, "I mean it's not like Mr. Brain would ever work out, right?" His insults, though, was mostly good-natured by now.

"I wanted to talk with her after class, but she ran off. I saw her go into the gym when I was looking for her. She seemed to be in a bad mood, though."

"Hmm. I wonder if …" Erasa looked down at her food and appeared to be thinking. When she looked back, she was frowning. "It doesn't happen very often, but every once in a while, she has these weird mood swings. She gets really angry and spends almost every second of the day in the gym."

"Why?" Gohan asked, curious as to what could upset Videl so much.

"I don't know." She sighed and looked away wistfully. "I've tried asking her, but talking to her when she's in that mood never ends well. Even when she's back to normal she refuses to talk about it."

"Yeah!" Sharpner added, "Last time, I suggested we go on a date, and she socked me so hard in the stomach it hurt to move for a week."

"Oh, you had that coming, Sharpie," Erasa scolded, "You know she hates it when you hit on her, but you insist on doing it anyway."

"Nobody can resist my dashing good looks and magnificent arms. She wants me. She just doesn't want to admit it."

As he said this, Sharpner smoothed back his long blonde hair in his best attempt to look irresistible. Erasa cracked up at the conceited boy's antics. The more stoic Gohan laughed quietly as well. Even Sharpner acknowledged that his chances were slim and chuckled a bit along with them.

When the three calmed down, Gohan said seriously, "I wonder what could cause it."

"I don't know, Gohan," Erasa told him, "But if she's in one of those moods, it's probably best for you to leave her alone to cool off."

"Maybe," Gohan said absentmindedly. He took a bite of his sandwich, chewing slowly as the new information sunk in. Erasa and Sharpner moved on to some other topic of conversation, but he continued to be preoccupied thinking of the raven-haired spitfire who was the only reason he had come to school that day.

Despite Erasa's warnings, he still wanted to talk with Videl. He didn't have anything in particular he wanted to say, but he hoped that somehow seeing Videl again would help him figure out his dream. More than that, he longed to experience again the warmth and comfort he had felt when he saw her smile the night before. Unfortunately, it now seemed he would not get to see that smile again anytime soon.

Whatever was bugging Videl, he was determined to find out. He did not fear Videl wrath like his two weak friends. What he did fear, though, was not being able to spend any more time with her. He didn't know how he had gotten so attached to a girl he had only met a few weeks ago, but that was irrelevant. He had to do something.

But by the end of the day, he still had not gotten his chance. Videl had not come to any classes, and whenever Gohan looked for her ki, she was in the gym, apparently still working out even though more than two hours had passed.

Finally, when the last period arrived and Videl did not show up to gym class, Gohan made up his mind. Getting the teacher's permission to leave—pretty easy when you've known him your entire life—he climbed the stairs to the fourth floor and went into the vast indoor gym to speak with its sole occupant.

The stench of sweat filled his nostrils as he stepped into the surprisingly cool confines of the air-conditioned room. Exercise equipment littered the expansive area—treadmills, exercise bikes, weight machines, rowing machines, punching bags, and more. It certainly was an impressive setup.

In the corner, Gohan spotted Videl ruthlessly pounding away on a heavy punching bag, filling the air with a cacophony of sharp smacks. He rarely saw anyone assault a practice target with such ferocity. To the untrained eye, her movements would appear as nothing but a blur as each punch and kick struck with lightning speed and deadly force.

Each blow sunk deeper and deeper into the bag, rattling the chain as it thrashed around violently. Finally, the poor bag couldn't take any more abuse and the seams burst, releasing the sand they had previously contained onto the smooth floor beneath. Gohan saw two more similarly destroyed bags hanging nearby to accompany it.

Videl walked away from her ruined target. Sweat was streaming down her face, plastering the strands of loose hair to her flushed skin. Her breath came in ragged pants as the exhausted girl struggled to regain her breath. Reaching for a towel, she dried her face and threw it across her shoulder before collapsing on the floor in exhaustion. Her chest rose and fell with each deep breath she took.

"Impressive." Gohan said after some time just observing the girl, causing Videl to jolt up and search for the source of the unexpected voice. Seeing Gohan standing there, she sighed heavily and fell back to the ground. Her face contorted into a deep scowl directed toward the ceiling, but she did not say anything.

"Videl," he called quietly.

"What do you want, Gohan?" Videl snapped irritably, still facing the ceiling.

Gohan approached her and sat down on a nearby weight bench. Looking down at girl on the floor, the picture of her soft smile once again flashed in his mind, reminding of the joy it had incited in him. In contrast, the angry look her face now carried caused him an inexplicable feeling of emptiness. With her upset, something was not right with the world.

"What's wrong, Videl?"

"Nothing's wrong!" She insisted, never meeting his eyes, but her voice betrayed her distress.

"Then why have you spent the last two and a half hours destroying the gym equipment?"

"I'm training."

"Why?"

"To get stronger." It was a copout and they both knew it.

"Why?"

"Let it go, Gohan," Videl rebuffed his attempts to dig deeper, but Gohan continued to push.

"What happened this morning, Videl?"

"I said just let it go!" she exploded and finally sat up to face him. She glared at him for several seconds before lying back on the ground. "I'm fine. Now please just leave me alone."

Not knowing what to say, but unwilling to leave, Gohan just sat there staring at Videl, the girl from his dream. How different she looked in reality than she had in the dream. This girl was exhausted, sweaty, and angry, while the girl he had seen that night had been peaceful, radiant, and happy.

And yet, the two were somehow the same. No matter the changes in appearance, they were undoubtedly the same person who had drawn Gohan toward her despite all his attempts to distance himself. The person who seemed to understand him better than anyone else. The person whom found incredibly attractive, no matter how much he tried to deny it.

As the uncomfortable silence stretched on, Videl rose to her feet and started for the back of the gym, toward the locker rooms. Gohan watched her go, experiencing that familiar feeling of loneliness strike him as the distance between them grew. He wanted to tell her to wait, but he could think of no excuse why she should stay. So he said nothing as she disappeared behind the door to the locker room

Gohan left the gym and started back to class. As he meandered through the deserted hallways of the school, a shadow of depression cast by Videl's dark mood clung tighter and tighter to him. His guiding light had snubbed him, leaving him to once again flounder around in the darkness.

A part of him was mocking him. It told him to abandon his foolish quest and forget about that dream. It was nothing, it said, a figment of his imagination caused by his unstable emotional state and Videl's unwelcome intrusion. It was ridiculous to think that that dream had any meaning. He was a fool to get worked up over something so trivial.

At the same time, there was something else. Something deeper, more primal. It urged him to trust his instincts and keep going. It refused to give up without a fight and dared him to overcome the fear and the obstacles in front of him. It enticed him to pursue his elusive goal even if it meant going to the ends of the earth to claim the ultimate reward.

It did not take Gohan long to figure out what this other something was. It was the Saiyan side of him that he had so desperately tried to suppress. He had made his decision to follow Videl towards that elusive light of his dream, and he had come to school with the sole purpose of beginning that journey. His Saiyan pride bristled at being rejected so outright, and pushed him to keep trying.

A battle was raging within him. It consumed throughout what was left of school, and continued as he walked home and began his homework. By dinnertime, he had finished all his assigned work in addition to studying additional material not covered in his classes, but the conflict in his mind was still as strong as ever.

It was proud Saiyan versus weak human: Resolve waged war with indecision, hope with fear, and boldness with timidity. It felt like his head was filled with a furious tempest as the conflicting emotions crashed together into utter pandemonium that only grew more chaotic as time passed.

Finally, the answer came. Like a beam of sunlight penetrating the clouds, the memory of Videl's smile returned to him. He once again remembered the reason he had come back, the reason he had sought out Videl—that haunting smile that had brought him out of an abyss of despair. The picture burned itself in his mind's eye, bringing with it a sense of peace. All the confusion, doubt, and uncertainty still swirled around him, but as long as he focused on that one image, things felt right. It was the eye of the storm. The one place he could escape.

With this realization, what had before been a vague notion to seek after the girl in his dreams crystallized into firm resolve. Videl held the key to something he wanted—no, needed—and he would not give up so easily. He would do whatever it took to find it.

Or would he?

Would he really be willing to do anything? Would he even be willing to return to a life of martial arts, if that was what was required? Would he be willing to risk the return of his nightmares? These questions haunted him.

He had no answer, at least for the moment; he would just have to take everything in baby steps.

* * *

**Little bit of a change of format, as you can see. So anyway, thanks to everyone for reading. But I'm not going to lie, ****I was a bit disappointed in the low number of reviews I got last chapter. **All the follows/favs are really encouraging, but please take the time to review. They are what really motivate me and tell me if I'm doing a good job.

**Partly to facilitate that but mostly because I want your input, I have a question for all my loyal readers:**** Should I include Buu? This is a ways off in the future, but I've been wrestling with this for a while and wanted to hear what you think. Yes or no? Why or why not? Let me know in a review, or just pm me. Either way works.**

**Thanks in advance!**


	14. House Call

**House Call**

The next day was Friday. Gohan went to school with renewed determination to get through to Videl, but was disappointed when she again was absent for first period. In fact, she never showed up at all. After school, he asked Erasa if she knew anything, but Videl had not said anything to her.

"My guess, though, is that she's at home. Satan mansion has its own fully equipped gym."

Gohan thought for a moment. He agreed with Erasa's assessment, but should he go visit her? Going over there uninvited could drive her away. But then again, she had visited his home without any prior notice multiple times before. He reasoned she couldn't begrudge him one house call.

"Could you tell me where she lives?" he requested politely. Erasa stared at him like he was an alien—he was, of course—but told him anyway. Quickly memorizing the address, he thanked her and left.

The address Erasa had given her was on the other side of Satan City, so he went ahead and decapsulated the motorcycle Bulma had given him for his birthday the year before. It was a prototype model—one he had helped design, in fact—whose sleek black finish often drew too many looks for his taste. As a result, he rarely used the powerful machine, preferring to walk all but the longest distances.

Riding such a vehicle, he made it to Videl's house—if one could use such a word for that monstrosity—in short order. As he pulled up to the gate, he was surprised to see a cadre of overeager reporters with cameras and microphones, all hoping to get so much as a glimpse or a word from their savior.

Though he had known Videl's father was quite the celebrity, it still stunned him to see how much these people idolized him. He couldn't imagine living such a life, and was glad he didn't have to put up with it. The relief almost made him want to thank that fool Hercule for taking his credit. Almost.

Riding the bike up to the gate, the media that were clustered at the gate parted before him to avoid getting run over. They gawked at the strange visitor riding such an expensive looking vehicle.

"Does anyone know how I can get in?" he asked them. They all just stared at him wide-mouthed in disbelief. Eventually, though, one of them pointed to an intercom system attached to the gate. Pressing the button, he spoke into the small device, "Can I come in?"

There was no response at first. Then, the speaker crackled to life and a disembodied voice spoke.

"Identify yourself."

"My name's Gohan. I'm a friend of Videl's from school," he answered, hoping that would be enough to gain him entrance.

Nothing happened at first. After several minutes had passed, Gohan began to lose hope. He was about to leave when he heard a click and the gate swung open. All the media members were awestruck. They whispered among themselves as they speculated how this mere boy had been granted access to the most high security household in the world, after that of the Brief family, of course.

Once past the gate, there was a long driveway up to the main complex—complex, that was a better word than house. At the end, the pavement widened into an enormous cul-de-sac with a many times life-size statue of Hercule Satan. Parking near the end of the cul-de-sac, he ascended the elegant staircase to the front porch where a long line of marble columns proclaimed Mr. Satan's opulence.

He rung the door bell and waited. Within seconds, a tall, thin man in a tuxedo answered the door and greeted him. He was an older man. Crow's feet lined the corners of his eyes and his formerly black hair was liberally peppered with gray.

"Right this way, sir," he said and motioned for him to follow.

Gohan could only gape as he was lead into an entryway. The ceiling towered high above his head in grandiose fashion. Part of the vast space was filled with an ornate crystal chandelier and a granite staircase that spiraled up to the second floor.

He didn't have much time to take in the decor, however, as the man he assumed to be the butler waved him on. He took him past the stairs and through a large hallway. Their steps echoed on the hard tile echoed off the walls as they made their way down to what looked to be a private study. There his guide left him and closed the door as he took his leave.

The room was a stereotypical study. Bookshelves lined the back wall, boasting an impressive display of decorative books. The rest of the walls were covered with pictures, news articles, and trophies, all bearing Mr. Satan's name. In the center of the floor sat a large, wooden desk, and behind it was a high-backed leather chair.

"So, you say you know my daughter, eh?" the chair spoke in an obnoxious voice. It swiveled around to reveal the voice came from none other than Mr. Satan

"Yes, sir," Gohan confirmed.

"Alright then, I'm going to give you a little test," Mr. Satan explained, "And if you fail, I'll beat ya so hard you'll wish you never tried to mess with my sweet pea."

"Uh, sure…" Gohan replied, feeling awkward listening to the man's arrogance.

"Wh-what the," Hercule faltered, "You're not afraid?"

"Should I be?"

There was something weird about this boy. That face…and that crazy hairdo…it all seemed familiar. Plus, he didn't seem at all fazed by being in the presence of the champ. He should be quivering in fear, but instead he looked almost bored.

"Well, no. Not if you don't mean my little angel any harm!" He shook those thoughts off. It wouldn't do for the champ to look weak. "Okay, first question, what is Videl's favorite color?"

Gohan cocked his head. _Is that really the question?_ he thought. Were friends supposed to know stuff like that? He hoped there were more questions because he had no idea how to answer this one.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I don't know."

"You don't know?" Mr. Satan shouted incredulously, "Then I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Sir?"

"That's right. I'm having mercy on you and won't knock you senseless this time. Now get out of my house before I change my mind!"

"Mr. Satan, is that really the only question?" Gohan was confused.

"Of course, every _real_ friend of my darling knows her favorite color. She makes sure to tell them so that if they ever come over here, I know not to kick their butt into the next town."

"Really?" Gohan again tried to think if Videl had ever told him her favorite color.

"How about this, son?" Hercule suggested, leaning forward in his seat, "I'm feeling generous today so I'll give you one more shot to answer. Think real good, because if you don't get it, I'm going to town with your face! HAHAHA!"

Gohan looked up at the ceiling, his mind racing. Was he forgetting something? No, he was positive that Videl had never said any such thing. Then did Videl not consider him a friend? Even after all they'd been through she still considered him no more than a suspect to interrogate? What would he do now? He had staked so much on this. He could not afford to fail.

"I'm sorry, sir," he said. Unsure as to what he would do now, he got up to leave. "I guess I'll just have to ask her when she comes back to school, whenever that is." he muttered to himself.

"Wait, son!" Hercule stopped him. "You passed the test."

"Whaa?" Gohan was now completely lost. He had no clue what this crazy man was talking about anymore.

"It was a test, boy! Videl doesn't have a favorite color. I just had to make sure you weren't a creep."

"And you did that how?"

"If you were a creep, you would have tried to lie. You didn't, so you must be telling the truth about knowing my Videl. Pretty smart, huh? AHAHAHAHA!"

Mr. Satan was standing now, rubbing his finger under his nose as he basked in what he believed to be his cleverness

"That…" Gohan stared dumbfounded at the man's ridiculous behavior. He didn't understand his reasoning in the slightest. Was he really that dumb?

"Plus, I checked with the school while you were at the gate," he said when he finally stopped laughing, "You check out, at least for now."

"Then why…?"

"Oh, I was just messing with you a little. Wanted to keep you on your toes. AHAHAHA!" Hands on his hips, the huge man was cackling at an absurdly loud volume yet again.

Now Gohan was getting irritated. This was the man everyone in the city worshipped? This arrogant buffoon who would abuse his position of authority to 'mess with' those who feared him? As the grating laugh continued, he could feel the anger start to rise. An image of himself kicking the idiot through the wall popped into his head.

Noticing the direction of his thoughts, he quickly worked to suppress his anger. It would do no good to let his rage control him again. Even once he had calmed down, though, he still couldn't get rid of the general dislike he felt for the man.

His patience at its limits, he finally interrupted Hercule, "Where is Videl?"

"Oh, right." He bumbled back into his chair and pressed a button on his desk. "I'll have George take you to her."

A minute later, the butler—who he now knew was named George—appeared.

"Ms. Videl is using the workout facilities. If you will follow me …"

George led him to a new area of Satan mansion. With each twist and turn, Gohan became increasingly disoriented despite his keen sense of direction. Just as he was getting hopelessly lost, they turned down a seemingly insignificant set of stairs and descended until they reached a door.

The door was mostly glass but was reinforced with metal, so Gohan could see past it to get a limited view of what lay behind it, but he saw nothing interesting. At the side was a key pad, which the butler went up to and entered a quick succession of digits. A dull thud rang out as he pressed the last key.

"This is the Satan family private gym," George announced.

He swung open the door theatrically and gave him a full view of the room at last. It looked very much like the gym at school. There was less equipment, but what there was looked newer. Clearly, this facility was not designed to serve nearly the number of people as the one in Orange Star High.

Looking around, Gohan saw no trace of Videl anywhere in the room.

"She must be in the locker room," George informed him, "I will leave you now. Just wait here until she comes out. You may make use of any equipment you wish to pass the time."

He was left alone, but he made no move to act on the butler's suggestion. Content to wait as long as necessary, he remained standing and monitored Videl's ki. For the first ten minutes, it remained relatively constant. After that, he could sense strange flickers—the sort of miniature spikes caused by intense emotion. By the time he finally felt her begin to move around, Gohan was more than a little concerned.

At last, the door to the woman's locker room swung open and in stepped Videl, dressed in her usual black spandex and oversized white shirt. Running a towel through her dripping hair, she didn't see Gohan standing there at first. Once she lowered the towel, though, she noticed his presence.

"You weren't at school today," he said, stating the obvious.

Videl ignored him. Without so much as looking at him, she made her way to the other end of the room, discarding her towel on the ground on the way.

"What is going on, Videl?" Gohan asked, stopping the girl in her tracks.

"Dammit, Gohan," she cursed, her voice hardly more than a whisper, "Why can't you just give up?"

Gohan turned to see Videl with her back to him. Even from across the room, he saw how stiff she looked. Her hands were clenched so hard her knuckles turned white, and if he looked closely, he could perceive her body trembling slightly. Above all, Gohan could sense pain. Her body, her words, her voice, and even her ki all betrayed the grief she tried desperately to keep hidden.

Gohan went up to Videl and put a hand on her shoulder. She bristled at the contact, but did not pull away.

"I won't make you tell me anything, Videl," he said, trying to reassure her, "I just want to help in any way I can."

Videl hung her head, her eyes closed tightly shut. She stayed like that, silent. As the seconds ticked by, her shoulders started to shudder and her breath came in ragged gasps. Gohan desired to comfort her with every fiber of his being, but he had no clue what to do. Coming here had been a mistake. He had only made things worse. He just hoped it could be remedied somehow.

Finally, the trembling stopped and her muscles relaxed. Gohan took a breath to say something.

"Train me," Videl whispered so quietly that Gohan couldn't make out what she said, even with his sensitive ears.

"What?"

"I SAID TRAIN ME!" Videl cried out wildly. Spinning around to face him, she looked at him with desperation evident on her face. "If you want to help me, then train me!"

Videl stared fiercely into his eyes, waiting for his response, but none came. Gohan was rendered speechless by the unexpected outburst. Hearing his silence, she looked down, and when her head came back up he could glimpse traces of tears welling up in her eyes.

"Please, Gohan!" she entreated, "I need to get stronger, and you're the only person I know who can help me!"

He watched in shock as her normal tough exterior rapidly deteriorated, revealing to him a new, vulnerable Videl. This was a side of Videl he had never seen, and yet … it was one that seemed all too familiar.

Her request itself was not unexpected. In fact, he had been positive that she would ask again eventually, so he had spent the previous night considering what his response would be. But despite that, he had never come to a decision.

Now, however, as Videl's determined eyes locked with his, he felt something shift. Just like during that day during gym, he was captivated by the brilliant pools of pure blue that enticed him to lose himself in them for all eternity. But there was something different now. The moisture of unshed tears glistened on their surface. The pain and sorrow he had only caught glimpses of before now saturated them and pierced him to his very soul.

Videl's anguish flowed into him with each passing second that he gazed into those eyes. And as it began to fill him, something clicked and he suddenly saw not Videl, but himself.

He saw himself looking up at Piccolo, pleading for the Namekian to help him train. The utter desperation he had felt that day as he broke down in front of his teacher, mentor, and friend—it all came rushing back. He had just wanted the pain to go away. Something was not right and the only thing he could think fix it—the only thing he had ever known—was to train. He thought that maybe, if he got stronger, his agony would stop. That somehow he could make up for his mistake if he trained his mind and body to a point where he would never let anything like that happen again.

Piccolo was the only one left. The only one he thought he could go to. The only one who could help him obtain the mental and physical control he required. And when he had refused, Gohan had not been able to bear it. He lost control. Alternating between screaming and begging, he frantically tried to change Piccolo's mind. It was one of the few times after the Cell Games that he had almost come to tears.

If Piccolo had not finally relented, Gohan would have been utterly crushed. All hope lost, with no sense of direction, he didn't know what he would have done, but it scared him just thinking about it.

And now he was staring into a soul undergoing torments that closely matched his own. Just imagining her experiencing the same suffering he endured was enough for him to make a decision. He was now certain of what he had to do, even if he didn't like it.

"Okay," he said at last. Videl gasped slightly.

"Really?" she asked, tentative hope beginning to appear on her features.

"We'll start tomorrow at eight," he said, nodding his head in affirmation.

All traces of distress left Videl's face in an instant as a new expression of unadulterated joy broke through. The genuine smile and elated laugh tickled Gohan's heart and internally he rejoiced alongside with her. He still had one reservation, but he knew he had made the right decision.

All of a sudden, in her excitement, Videl jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Surprised, Gohan grabbed her so she wouldn't bring them both down. Videl was in his arms.

* * *

She didn't know why she did it. It went against everything she had promised herself.

It might have been that part of her was still thinking of Gohan's strong hand her shoulder, radiating comforting warmth that seeped into her skin and made her stomach flutter. Her first instinct had been to pull away, but she could not deny that she was enjoying the contact. She felt safe and secure beneath his touch.

And when he spoke … She had rarely heard anyone sound so sincere. With every word, every syllable he pronounced, she could hear genuine care and concern in his voice, and it was all directed to her, and she could tell: He saw not the daughter of Mr. Satan, not Satan City's resident crime fighter, not a classmate or casual acquaintance. In his eyes, she was just Videl, a friend who needed help.

And then, just when she thought she'd be denied again, he agreed to train her. She was ecstatic. Every fiber in her body went from dejection to jubilation at the thought of getting to train with the son of a master. She couldn't help it. She leaped into his arms like an overexcited grade-schooler into the arms of her father.

Finding herself in Gohan's arms ignited her senses instantaneously. His skin carried a subtle, pleasant scent of soap with musky undertones that made her lightheaded. Each breath he took sent past her ear a rush of warm, moist air that made her spine tingle and her heart pound even as Gohan's own heartbeat thumped against her chest.

What affected her the most, though, was the sensation of his body against hers. Powerful arms held her tight to his firm, well-defined chest. She could feel nearly every one of his chiseled muscles pressing against her, his body heat electrifying the contact. For a split second, she thought she wanted to stay like that, secure in his arms, forever.

Then Videl realized what she was doing and immediately broke off the embrace. Embarrassed, she blushed a deep shade of red and stared down at her feet as she struggled to find words in the awkward silence that followed.

When she finally worked up the courage to look up at Gohan, she saw him similarly incapacitated with his eyes glued to the floor.

"So … eight o'clock?" she questioned uncomfortably.

"Uh-huh."

Neither of them spoke again as she led him out of the gym and to the front door. They said their silent goodbyes and parted ways.

* * *

**Thanks everyone for reading! Lots of stuff is starting to happen and I hope you enjoyed it.**

**I would like to specifically thank everyone who reviewed my last chapter and offered input on Buu. After hearing what all of you have to say, I have decided that I probably will put Buu in this story, but I will change how the saga plays out significantly.**

**Please read and review! The amount of reviews I got last chapter was incredible. ****You guys are awesome! ****I don't expect that many every time, but I would love it if there were even half that number this time. If not, oh well. Life goes on and I will keep writing.**

**Also, if you have the time, I invite you to check out a Gohan x Videl one-shot I wrote for Valentine's day. I'm pretty proud of it. You can find it on my profile.**


	15. First Things First

**First Things First**

The next morning, Gohan was waiting for Videl's arrival. An early riser, he had gotten up at 6 o'clock to go on his morning run and returned with just over an hour to shower and eat breakfast, tasks which took him less than half that time to complete. That left him with a good half hour to spare, so he used the time to get in some much needed meditation.

He was still shaken up from the day before. When he'd set out for Videl's house, he had no idea of would happen. But never, in all his wildest imaginings, could he have predicted that not only would he agree to train her, but that he would end up with Videl in his arms. Every time he let his mind wander, it drifted back to that moment.

The soft scent of lavender from her freshly washed hair. The soft whispers of her shallow breathing. Her small body, pressed against his own, making him startlingly aware of how soft she was. The steady pulse of her rapid heartbeat fluttering against his chest. Her smooth skin against his own, radiating its warmth and sending his own heart racing.

That short moment had set his whole body on fire and even now he was having difficulty moving past it. He occasionally thought he could still smell her intoxicating aroma, arousing anew the vivid sensations that had etched themselves in his memory. His heart would skip a beat and begin its steady acceleration.

Now, he sat on the floor do everything he could to suppress those memories and calm himself down so he could focus on reality. He was a sensei now. It would not do to be flustered over his newest and only pupil. He had to be calm and think rationally, or else things could get out of hand.

Fortunately, he had many other things to occupy his mind. Once he was breathing evenly and his heart rate had subsided, he began working through a training regimen for Videl. Unfortunately, he really had no idea how he was going to go about training Videl.

He was pretty sure he couldn't replicate how Piccolo first trained him. Throwing Videl head-first into a cliff was definitely not a possibility. Nor was leaving her stranded in the wilderness for six months. Or throwing her off a cliff to teach her to fly. Come to think of it, most of Piccolo's "training" techniques involved putting his life in extreme danger and forcing him to get stronger or die. That might have worked for him because of his Saiyan blood, but for a normal human?

There were, of course, several other possible ways he could think of, but the greatest obstacle that lay not in the training but within himself.

He had agreed to training Videl largely on impulse. Now that it was about to become reality, however, his doubts and fears began to return. Training, fighting, martial arts. It all reminded him of his father...and the crushing guilt for making him sacrifice himself. He was afraid that if he re-entered that world, everything would return to the way it was.

The torturous darkness still lingered at the corners of his mind, threatening to consume him again at the slightest misstep. And now, in a sad twist of fate, the girl who had become the one light that could stave off that darkness was driving him to its very edge. Training Videl would be a dangerous test of balance, one Gohan intended to play and win.

He just had to be careful.

* * *

A little while later, Videl knocked at the door of Gohan's apartment.

"Come in!" Gohan called from within.

Opening the door, she saw him cross-legged in the middle of the floor, still dressed in civilian clothes. His eyes remained closed and he said nothing as she entered, staying in his motionless position as if he were still alone. Not knowing what else to do, she sat on the floor opposite him.

The minutes ticked slowly by as the two sat quietly across from each other. Videl did her best to meditate as Gohan had taught her, but was too eager to begin her training to concentrate on anything else. Even the disturbing memory of their little 'moment' the day before was crowded out by the excitement that she would finally be training under someone that could help her push past the wall she had hit.

Giving up, she opened her eyes to examine her new sensei. Legs crossed, eyes closed, and hands in his lapped, Gohan looked the perfect picture of serenity. His wild, jet black hair that had at first seemed strange to Videl now just seemed to fit. In fact, if she was being honest with herself, she'd have to say she was starting to find it attractive.

She waited as patiently as she could until Gohan finally opened his eyes.

"First things first," he said, "I have two conditions before I train you."

Videl blinked, taken back by the unexpected news.

"First, I need you to tell me why you want to get stronger. The real reason."

Videl's heart dropped. Was Gohan still trying to get her to tell him what had happened? She thought he had decided to leave her be on that. Would Gohan really get her hopes up only to shatter them if she didn't answer his question?

Sensing her distress, Gohan clarified, "I don't expect you to bare your soul to me. Just tell me what you intend to do with the strength you hope to gain."

Videl sighed in relief. The question now seemed a lot less probing and easier to answer. It was still a little private, but she could avoid _that_ subject all together.

"I want to protect everyone in this city and the people I care about," she said, having a hard time looking him in the eyes. Saying something that personal, even if it was benign, was just too…embarrassing.

Gohan said nothing at first. He looked at her intently, as if scrutinizing every motion, trying to detect any trace of deceit. She didn't know what he saw, but he eventually his gaze softened, allowing her to relax.

"Alright, there's just one more thing before we get started."

"And what is that?" she asked, her excitement rising as she realized how close she was to actually getting the training she had desperately desired since she had begun to stagnate in the past year.

"I need you to trust me, at least with your training." He spoke slowly, obviously expecting his request to be one she would have a difficult time with.

"I know you've probably had your doubts about whether I'm really qualified to train you. If not, then I'm sure you will. I need you to put those aside whenever they arise, no matter how hard it may be. You must be willing to do whatever I say, even if you think it is impossible or serves no purpose, and simply trust that I will help you improve. Can you do that, Videl?"

Videl wanted to say yes. The sooner she agreed the sooner they could start. Something within her held back, however.

Trust. Such a simple word, but one of the hardest things in the world for someone who had lived a life like hers. She wanted to trust Gohan, and indeed did on some level. But the level of trust he was asking for now went beyond simply believing what he said. He was asking for her to surrender control, to allow him to dictate what she did.

That was hard for Videl. Training had always been a huge part of her life, but it was something she did alone. She had long since broken off from the useless Satan Dojo to train on her own, wanting to push herself beyond the low expectations of the over-commercialized dojo. For years, no one had told her what to do as she excelled, surpassing everyone in the city except for her father.

If she trained with Gohan, that would all change. She would have to accept his authority as her sensei, a task made more difficult when she had yet to confirm that Gohan could teach her anything. She had never seen him fight. All she had to go on was Krillin's suggestion that he could train her and Gohan's apparent agreement based on his little speech. … And his incredible musculature that she had felt the other day—no, she couldn't forget that detail.

Given all that, she was fairly certain that Gohan was something special. However, she still had some misgivings. If she were to trust him completely, she needed something more concrete.

"Can I ask you a question first?" she dared to speak up.

Gohan nodded and replied, "Of course."

"If you're no stronger than me, how come you say you can help me get stronger?"

He didn't answer right away. His eyes drifted to the ceiling as he considered how to answer her. When he looked back at her, he had come to a decision.

"Because, Videl," he stated, "if we were to fight, I would win."

"How can you be so sure?" she demanded.

"You are thinking of strength in the wrong away, Videl," he explained. "In martial arts, it's not enough just to be physically strong. You must also be able to use that strength in the best and most efficient way. To do this, you must have proper technique so as not to leave your opponent an opening. You must think and strategize during a fight to come up with the best plan of attack. And you must keep a level head and avoid mistakes during even the most stressful of situations.

"I've seen you fight. When you take all those other factors into account," he concluded, "I could easily defeat someone of your level."

He said this with a calm certitude that left no room for doubt. Still, hearing all the abilities she had worked hard to obtain being disregarded so casually was a hard pill to swallow. If she were anyone but Videl Satan, it might have disheartened her to the point of giving up, but she was not that person.

Instead, she viewed it as a challenge. Nothing spurred her to reach higher than seeing someone above her. Her father had always been her ultimate goal, but he seemed so far off that surpassing him often seemed more of a dream than a concrete target. Now she had somewhere to shoot for—someone who seemed much closer.

Videl finally made up her mind. Nothing would stand in the way of her ultimate goal to be the strongest, especially not herself. First she would surpass Gohan, then Krillin, then her father.

"Okay," she told her new sensei, "I will trust you."

Gohan regarded her seriously as he received her answer. Nodding as if he had just confirmed something to himself, he unfolded his legs and rose to his feet.

"Okay, we start immediately."

Videl jumped up to join him. The moment had finally arrived! Her journey to the top began now.

"Does this mean you'll finally fight me?" she asked, bouncing on her toes excitedly. A stern look from Gohan quenched her rising impatience. "Sorry," she quickly apologized, raising her arms in front of her in concession.

"We're going on a little field trip," Gohan said, ignoring her outburst.

"Where?"

"You'll see."

He led her outside and she followed him as they walked towards the edge of town. As the city faded away into less populated countryside, Gohan signaled for them to stop. Pulling a small case from his pocket, he withdrew a capsule which he promptly threw onto the ground next to the road. In a puff of smoke, their vehicle appeared before them.

Videl could only gape at what most closely resembled some kind of futuristic jet. Two sets of wings, one smaller than the other, jutted out to form a strange combination of angles and curves. The pure white fuselage was offset by swabs of midnight blue on the nose and tips of the wings. The entire vehicle was low to the ground and very small, holding at most two people.

She had never seen anything like it. The glossy exterior seemed to be completely seamless, betraying a technology far beyond that of ordinary civilian technology. Indeed, it might have even been beyond the most advanced military equipment. How could Gohan get his hands on something like this?

"Where did you get this?" she asked, running her hand over the smooth metal.

Gohan pressed a switch and opened the hatch for them to get in.

"It might be a little cramped," he told her as he hopped in the pilot's seat. "But we'll manage."

"Wha—" Videl stared at him in disbelief. Gohan was sitting in the aircraft as if she had never spoken, waiting for her to get in. She sighed. She didn't know why things like that still surprised her.

She joined him in the back seat, which was indeed cramped, as he prepared to take off. The hatch came down, giving her a temporary sense of claustrophobia as the amount of available space was drastically reduced. Distracting her from that, however, was the steadily rising drone of the engine. It grew louder and louder until it reached an uncomfortable level.

Finally, she felt the plane move. It moved slowly at first, but rapidly gained momentum as they rose straight into the air. As they continued to gain altitude, she heard the engine noise start to fade. Finally, their ascent came to a halt along with the loud humming. They hovered for a few seconds.

Suddenly, the engine roared back to life. Videl was pressed back into her seat as they shot forward at high velocity towards their destination, wherever that was.

* * *

Half an hour into their flight, Videl was already getting impatient. She hated being left in the dark and Gohan still refused to tell her where they were going no matter how many times she asked him. To make things worse, sitting there in the cramped space of the aircraft was really starting to wear on her.

"Will you at least tell me how much longer?" she asked finally.

"About another 30 minutes or so," Gohan replied.

Videl sighed heavily. Only half way there? She didn't know if she could take another half hour of being cooped up in this mechanical prison.

She could have better tolerated the whole ordeal if she only had something to do, but she had nothing—no music, no book, no anything. Neither of them was much for small talk, and the sound of the engine made conversation difficult anyway. The only remaining option for entertainment was to look outside and watch as the world zipped by beneath them. That was fine for the first few minutes, but it quickly grew boring. That left Videl with nothing to do but think. And, as they often did, her thoughts soon drifted to Gohan.

Gohan was her sensei now. It sounded strange to her, even though it was her idea for him to train her. This was the guy she had followed home from school. The guy she had been trying to figure out ever since she first met him. The guy she had gone on a date with, even if wasn't a real date. The guy whose arms she'd been in less than 24 hours ago.

She was glad Gohan seemed to have chosen to ignore that particular moment. The sooner they forgot it the better. Things would get really awkward otherwise. For the sake of her training, she couldn't think of him as anything other than her sensei. She couldn't think of his penetrating obsidian eyes, or his breath in her ear, or his muscular body, or the beating of his heart against her chest … That was easier said than done.

Cursing herself for where her thoughts had wandered, she steered her mind back to her upcoming training. She was still surprised Gohan had actually agreed. He obviously had problems with fighting for some reason; that's why she had promised herself not to pressure him. It was in a moment of weakness that she broke that promise and made her wild plea, fully expecting him to refuse but not caring. She needed to get stronger, and she would try anything.

Videl saw how selfish it all was. She had completely disregarded Gohan's own problems to get what she wanted. But though she regretted exploiting him like that, she just couldn't bring herself to turn back. The memories of that morning just two days ago were fresh in her mind, making any guilt she felt seem insignificant. Every time she thought of what had happened she just wanted to punch something.

Just as she was beginning a slow spiral back into the same foul mood she'd been in the day before, a voice intruded in her thoughts

"We're here!"

Videl started in her seat and looked around. Before she could see where they were, though, her eyes locked on Gohan in front of her and her spirits lifted. Things had changed, she reminded herself. After all the time she had tried on her own and failed, she would finally get stronger.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I won't say much else this time, but thank you everyone for all the reviews last chapter, and keep reviewing! Let me know what you think, tell me any suggestions you may have, point out any mistakes that you see, etc.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	16. Deadly Temptation

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of it's characters.

**Deadly Temptation**

Videl looked in awe at the sprawling urban center below them. Towering skyscrapers with their characteristic rounded and spherical tops littered the metropolis, forming a skyline that she immediately recognized. An intricate system of roads crisscrossed every corner of the area that housed the world's largest collection of people. Thousands upon thousands of cars clustered the streets, gaveling away the hectic life led by the residents of the megalopolis.

"What are we doing in West City?" Videl asked, her face pressed against the glass to get a better view.

"You'll see in a second," Gohan answered, beginning the landing sequence.

They steadily decelerated as they flew above the city, allowing Videl to take in the scenery. She had only visited West City once or twice, and the sheer size of the place still astounded her. People were everywhere—walking, driving, eating, shopping, working, and more. The size and density of the population was not something Videl was used to, having lived her whole life in the much smaller Orange Star City. It made her dizzy just thinking about the mass of humanity that was packed into such a small area.

Their plane was nearing a stop now as they passed a nearby building to reveal what was hiding on the other side. There, looming before her, was the massive dome structure that she had seen so many pictures of throughout her life. Videl gaped as they touched down right in front of it. …

Capsule Corporation headquarters!

"We're here," Gohan said nonchalantly as he opened the cockpit to let them out.

Videl was speechless. Disembarked from the plane, all she could do was look around in shock. They were literally standing at the front door of the richest and most important company in the entire world! Was this really happening? That question was immediately followed by another: Why were they there?

Before she could ask, however, Gohan had stored the jet and started up toward the front of the building. She rushed to catch up to him, pulling up alongside him just as he reached the entrance. She watched to see if he would have the audacity to knock on the door seemingly uninvited.

He didn't knock. No, instead, he pulled a card from his wallet and waved it in front of a scanner positioned to the right of the door. A light flashed green and he entered some sort of password on the accompanying keypad. There was a mechanical clank and a rush of air, and a dumbstruck Videl watched as the door to Capsule Corp opened before her very eyes.

"You wanted to know where I worked." Gohan said, and stepped across the threshold as if nothing were amiss.

Videl was momentarily paralyzed in shock. She eventually forced herself to move in order to keep her sensei in sight, but her body was moving only by rote. Her mind was busy processing these new developments and trying to figure out what it all meant.

Gohan worked at Capsule Corp, the most prestigious company in the world? Surely that was the only explanation, but it seemed so unreal. An ordinary high school student working in a place like this? Impossible! Of course, ordinary didn't really describe Gohan, but he was still just a high school student. Gohan certainly had some explaining to do!

As they moved through the complex, Videl watched Gohan with a mixture of curiosity and annoyance. Seriously, who was this guy? Not far into their journey, however, he suddenly stopped. Looking up, she saw a woman with short, blue hair and a lab coat. She was intently examining a clipboard in her hands as she walked.

_Oh my god! _Videl eyes widened in recognition. There, standing less than 10 feet away was arguably the richest, most powerful, most famous woman in the world—Bulma Briefs!

The world-famous scientist looked up. "Huh?" she mumbled and stared at them in confusion. As their faces finally registered, she suddenly exclaimed, "GOHAN!" and threw her arms around him.

Videl's jaw dropped. The president of Capsule Corp was hugging Gohan! What was going on? Did they know each other or something? I mean, sure, he apparently worked there, but that didn't explain why he was on a first name basis with Bulma Briefs, or why she was hugging him.

She rubbed her eyes, half expecting the entire scene would disappear and she would be back in her room, laughing at a crazy dream. But no matter what she did, _the_ Bulma Briefs was still hugging her classmate like an old friend. It was too much for her.

"What's going on, Gohan?" she demanded impatiently, tired of being put off.

That could Bulma's attention. Letting go of Gohan, she glanced over at her. "And who might this young lady be, Gohan?"

"Uh…this is Videl. We go to school together," Gohan introduced. "Videl, this is—"

"I'm Bulma Briefs," she beat him to the punch, stepping forward to shake Videl's hand.

"It is an honor to meet you Ms. Briefs," Videl replied as steadily as she could, given the situation.

"Oh, none of that!" Bulma dispensed with the formalities. "Just Bulma is fine."

"Okay. Uh, Bulma," Videl said, feeling awkward addressing her so informally, "How do you know Gohan?"

"Oh, it's a long story, actually. You see…" Bulma trailed off and looked over her shoulder at Gohan, who looked a bit uncomfortable seeing the two women together. "You know, I think I'll just let Gohan tell you about that." She winked playfully at Videl. "Well, I better be off, so I'll leave you to it. It was nice meeting you, Videl."

She passed them and, waving them goodbye, started down the direction Gohan and Videl had come from. They watched as she traversed the hallway, taking a turn some way down and disappearing from sight. As the echo of her footsteps faded away, Videl turned to her companion and glared at him.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Gohan!" she said menacingly.

"I know," Gohan admitted, "I will explain everything soon. But right now, follow me."

He immediately continued his previous path, forcing Videl to follow him or else be left behind in the maze that was Capsule Corp. Fortunately, it didn't take much longer for them to arrive at their destination.

The door was unremarkable. Completely white with the crisscrossing pattern that revealed the underlying support, it was just like countless others they had seen. On the wall was painted in red letters "GR-01," apparently some sort of identification. Here, Gohan again presented his ID card and inputted another code. The door glided open smoothly.

"After you," Gohan said, motioning for her to enter.

"What is this place?" she asked, looking around in wonder as she walked through the door.

Inside, the room was shaped like a giant dome with no windows. The walls were solid white, which only made the gaudy red tile of the floor stand out more. And in the center was the room's most distinguishing feature: an enormous column with an impressive control panel at its base.

"This is where we'll be training today," Gohan explained. "Before we do that, though, I need to go see Bulma."

She spun around and scowled at him. "Oh no you don't! I'm sick of waiting. You're going to give me answers _now_!"

But Gohan did not back down beneath her withering gaze.

"Videl," he reassured her calmly, "I promise I will tell you everything you want to know as soon as I get back. But right now, I really need to talk with Bulma."

She remained unconvinced. It seemed like another way for him to get out of answering her questions. And after being left in the dark all day, she had little tolerance for excuses.

"It's for your training," Gohan continued in an effort to placate her. Videl glowered at him for several more seconds, but ultimately relented.

"Fine," she muttered.

"Good. While I'm gone, work on your meditation. This quiet environment will help you focus, but it's still up to you to control your mind."

"Right." Videl nodded, indicating she understood.

"Okay, then." Gohan turned to leave. Just before he passed through the door, though, he stopped and looked back. "And Videl?"

"Yeah?"

"Whatever you do, do not touch those controls," he warned. "You could easily die."

She glanced back at the strange column she had noticed when she first came into the room. It had of course intrigued her, and despite their dire meaning, Gohan's ominous words only redoubled her curiosity. What exactly was this room for? Yet another mystery in an ever expanding list of questions to be answered.

"I won't," she promised, but the temptation was already growing to test his warning. Gohan looked unsure, but he said nothing else and left her to herself.

Videl did do as her sensei had instructed her, at least at first. She sat down on the hard floor and crossed her legs into a half-lotus. Her hands were folded in her lap as she had seen Gohan do many times. The result was she looked very much like someone deep in meditation—on the outside.

On the inside, she was far from the inner peace she was supposed to be seeking. All she could think about was the many curve balls she had been thrown that day—Gohan entering Capsule Corp, Bulma Briefs hugging him and talking like she'd known him all her life, the unusual room she sat in…

That last one, especially, was constantly nagging at her. It was the one thing she could investigate on her own, without needing to rely on Gohan for information. The control panel was right there behind her, just waiting for her to discover its secrets. It would be so easy, and Gohan would never know.

But no, she couldn't disobey him just hours after promising to trust him. She did everything she could to ignore it and focus on her meditation. And for a few minutes, that worked. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the pillar behind her out of her head. Having it so close was maddening. She wanted to know what it did!

Finally, she couldn't bear it anymore. She had to at least have a look. Maybe she could figure something out just from that. So, rising from her spot on the floor, she turned and leaned over the main controls of the room. She was stunned by the array of buttons, knobs, sliders, and various displays. As she tried to orient herself in the complex controls, her eyes focused on what appeared to be the main monitor, which read "001 G" in large characters.

Curious what that could mean, she took a closer look. A small line of print reading "Main Control" was etched above it, and below was a numeric keypad, which she guessed was how one operated the machine. Her hand moved almost automatically, her fingers coming to rest on the smooth key of their own accord. This was it. Just a press of a button, and…

She hesitated.

Gohan had warned her not to touch anything—he said she could die, in fact. But surely he was just overreacting … right? After all, she wasn't your average frail little girl. She was Videl Satan, the daughter of the man who beat Cell. There was nothing she couldn't handle, she thought.

Nevertheless, she wouldn't be stupid. Even the supremely confident Videl Satan knew how to be cautious when necessary. She reasoned that everything seemed normal with the readout at 1. Logically, then, it would be wiser to start with lower numbers and see what happened before moving up. So, steeling herself, she pressed the number '2' and immediately tensed.

Nothing happened.

Confused, she looked back at the screen—surely enough, it now read "002 G," but nothing seemed different. Perhaps that wasn't enough of an increase to make a difference? Trying to kick it up a notch, she pressed '3.' The monitor now showed "023 G," which made her pause.

Then, Videl noticed for the first time that the numbers were flashing. With that realization, she suddenly saw a square, red button immediately next to the main keypad. For all that build up, she had yet to actually input the changes she made. Angry with herself for failing to notice something so obvious, she slammed her hand down—right on the button.

An immense pressure surged down on her. Instantaneously, her legs buckled she crashed painfully to the floor. She was pressed flat into the floor by an enormous weight that made it impossible to move a muscle. It was like she was being crushed underneath an enormous block of cement or, better yet, an entire building.

There was no fighting it. She struggled to breathe with her uncooperative lungs. Each shallow breath became more and more strained as she labored to take in air. It wasn't enough, though. Soon, her vision began to dim. She wasn't getting enough oxygen. Her lungs just weren't strong enough, and neither was her heart.

Within seconds, everything began to go dark and she knew that she was moments away from passing out. Then she would die, just as Gohan had warned her. She had been stupid to think she could resist touching the controls, stupid to ignore Gohan, stupid to let herself get so frustrated, and stupid press that button without thinking.

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

Everything she had worked for and strived after … it was all for nothing! She was going to die, and she had no one to blame but herself.

A tear rolled down her cheek as darkness overcame her.

* * *

"Thank you," Gohan told Bulma as pocketed the capsule she had just given him, "This is perfect."

"No problem, Gohan. Anything for my favorite godson," Bulma replied cheerfully. "Now … Tell me about this girl—Videl, is it?"

Gohan groaned silently, but nodded. She had a mischievous look on her face that he did not like.

"So tell me, is she your girlfriend?"

Sighing, Gohan responded as calmly as he could, "We're just classmates. I agreed to train her. That's all."

"Mm-hmm…" Bulma looked at him knowingly. "You like her, don't you?"

"Wha—? No!" he denied. "I just—" Gohan stopped abruptly as he felt Videl's ki plummet.

_Oh no_. His fears had come to pass. He said nothing to Bulma as he hurled himself out the door and sprinted back to the gravity room.

_No. No. No. No. No. _The one word replayed in his mind over and over again as he ran.

_No! No! No! No! No!_ His silent screams grew louder and louder with each step even as he grew closer and closer to the room where Videl lay dying.

_NO! _He reached the door, cursing the fact that he lacked the strength to force it open.

_NO! _He pulled out his ID.

_NO! _He furiously punched in the password.

"NO!" He cried aloud as he burst into the room. His eyes immediately locked onto the limp figure on the floor.

His heart sank.

"No…" he choked out feebly.

He rushed to Videl's side. Her energy was undetectable by now, but she could still be alive. She had to be!

Shakily, he placed his first two fingers on the side of her neck. ... There is was! It was faint, but he could definitely feel a pulse, and it seemed to be getting stronger. Gohan let out the pent-up breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. She was alive!

Relief swept over him, ceasing the steady flow of adrenaline that had been coursing through his body. He suddenly felt completely sapped of energy. Gathering Videl in his arms, he sat on the ground and simply held her. The warmth of her skin, the rise and fall of her chest. It was all precious to him, reassurances that she was still alive.

Gohan couldn't stop them. The tears began to flow.

* * *

**Hey everyone! Thanks for reading and thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. You guys are awesome!**

**I want to apologize that it took me a little bit longer than usual to get this chapter out. I generally like to get a new chapter out every week, but things have been pretty crazy lately. I went on a trip this last weekend and didn't have access to my laptop, plus next week is spring break, so school's been hectic. BUT, I finally got the update out, and I've gotta say, it's actually one of my favorite chapters I've written so far. Of course, I'm not the one reading it, so let me know what you think.**

**Just as a heads up, I will be on another trip over spring break and will not be able to write anything for a while. As a result, the next chapter is going to be delayed quite a bit. At the minimum it'll be another two weeks until the next chapter - probably closer to three. Anyway, I thought I'd let you all know that. Sorry if it drives you crazy. :)**

**Thanks again for reading! Please review!**


	17. Back to the GR

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or any of its characters

**Back to the GR**

"She was in 23 times normal gravity! Another few seconds and she could have died!"

"I realize that!"

The shouting voices were barely perceptible, swirling around in Videl's head in an incomprehensible, jumbled mess. There were a man and a woman speaking, but the rest was a mystery to her fuddled mind.

"Then why did you leave her in there alone?" the woman asked.

"I don't know. I thought she'd be fine. I told her not to touch anything!"

"And you thought that would stop her? That probably just made her even more curious!"

Videl was beginning to understand more and more of the conversation as she slowly regained consciousness. She now recognized the voices as belonging to Gohan and Bulma, although she still couldn't see past her eyelids that refused to open. Both seemed to be agitated as they talked about…something. Could it be her?

There was a pause before Bulma spoke again.

"What are you going to do now?"

"I am going to train her."

"Without your full power?"

"Yes."

"And what if something happens, like today? As long as that you have that ki suppressor in you, there's not much you can do."

"I'll figure it out."

Ki suppressor? What were they talking about? Videl wanted to know what was going on. She willed herself to move, but her body would not respond the way she wanted. All she got was a slight twitch of her finger, but with that slight movement, she noticed something odd. She seemed to be completely submerged in some sort of liquid with only a mask providing her oxygen. And not only that … yes, she was sure of it now … she was almost completely naked!

That was enough to shock Videl back to full awareness. Her eyes snapped open and she instinctively moved to cover her barely covered form from any potential onlookers. She was surprised to find herself in some sort of pod. The front was completely transparent, but there appeared to be a curtain separating her from where Gohan and Bulma were, much to her relief.

Just as her concerns of privacy were assuaged, she heard the strange machine beep. The distinctive sound of draining fluid drew attention up, where the level of the fluid was steadily dropping.

"It seems she's finished," she heard Bulma say. "I'll go check on her."

A moment later, the curtain ruffled and in slipped Bulma Briefs.

"Awake already, I see," the blue-haired woman said as the tank continued to drain. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You got Gohan to agree to train you, after all, so you must be something special."

Videl couldn't say anything because of the mask that was her only source of oxygen. Still, she blushed, partly because of the compliment and partly because she was in front of easily the biggest celebrity in the world in nothing but her underwear. It could have been worse though—Gohan could have been there. That would have really been embarrassing.

Finally, the chamber finished emptying and the front cover lifted to release Videl.

"What happened?" she asked groggily as Bulma took her hand and helped her out. She was a little shaky on her feet at first, but otherwise she felt quite good, if a bit tired.

"You had a little accident," Bulma explained, "We'll explain everything in a bit, but first, let's get you dressed." She tossed her a set of clothes.

"Uh…right." Videl, pleased to see Bulma had returned her previous set of training clothes, began to get dressed. Pulling on her spandex pants, she asked, "But why were my clothes off in the first place? And what is that thing I was in?"

Bulma smiled kindly and leaned up against the machine, one leg crossed over the other casually as the girl smoothed out her pants.

"This baby…" She patted the contraption lightly. "…is one of my greatest creations. It's a machine designed to accelerate the natural healing process of the human body using a specially designed fluid that can be absorbed through the skin. When fully submerged, you can go from near death to full health within the span of six hours or so.

Videl finished by pulling her trademark oversized white shirt over her head to complete the tomboyish ensemble.

"As for why I removed your clothes," Bulma added, "the details are a bit technical, but basically it allows better circulation of fresh healing fluid to your skin to help speed the recovery process."

"Wow…" a now fully clothed Videl marveled as Bulma wrapped up her explanation. Capsule Corp really had this kind of technology hidden away? It sounded like something out of a sci-fi movie, and yet … here it stood in front of her very eyes. And apparently, it had healed her, though from what she wasn't sure.

Just then, Gohan called out, "Can I come in?"

Bulma glanced at her to confirm she was ready. She nodded the affirmative.

"Yeah, you're good!" Bulma replied.

The curtains were pulled apart and Gohan joined the group. As he did so, Videl noticed for the first time that what she had assumed to be curtains were actually just sheets draped over a make-shift metal frame. They must have set the whole thing up specially, just to give her a little privacy. How considerate of them.

"How do you feel?" Gohan asked politely.

"Hmm…" she hummed thoughtfully.

Indeed, how did she feel? At first, she had been a little groggy from just waking up, but now that that had worn off, she actually felt pretty good. No, scratch that, she felt _great_! In fact, she felt like she could take on a whole army of criminals right then. It was absolutely incredible. Never in her life had she felt so rejuvenated.

"Pretty good, actually," she told him, bouncing lightly on her toes excitedly. Her words did not do justice to the spectacular energy she was experiencing. Turning to face her new visitor, she stared up at his stoic face and was immediately brought back down to earth. The bouncing came to a stop.

"What happened to me?" she asked, for the first time seriously considering the question. "The last thing I remember was messing around with the controls in that room. I pressed the button and then … and then …" As she replayed the events in her newly cleared mind, suddenly it came to her. "…and then I was smashed down on the floor like a pancake!"

She grimaced and looked down pensively as the memories returned.

"I thought I was going to die," she said to no one in particular, reflecting on how unreal the situation was.

Suddenly, her head snapped up.

"You!" she shouted accusingly and poked a finger into his chest, "You are going to tell me what is going on. _Right_. _Now_," She punctuated each word firmly, leaving no room for questions or excuses.

Gohan's impassive face softened slightly.

"Okay," he agreed and bowed his head.

Satisfied, Videl let out a small "hmph" and back off slightly to await his explanation. Sensing their need to be alone, Bulma excused herself, ostensibly because she had an important meeting.

And so, Gohan told her all about Bulma and how she was a family friend who had known his father since they were kids. He told her about his job at Capsule Corp as a sort of permanent intern. He told her about the gravity room and its ability to change the force of gravity. He told her how she had set the machine to 23 times normal gravity and almost died as a result.

It all took less than a minute for Gohan to say, but the significance of his words was tremendous. What was he saying was so fantastical that, had Videl not been standing in Capsule Corp after a near fatal encounter with the gravity machine, she probably would not have believed him. Even as it was, some part of her still thought that it all was a dream and that any minute now she would wake up to her normal world where everything made sense. It would be easier that way. The more practical side, of course, knew that she could not run away from reality, but still … it would take a while before she completely accepted it.

As she continued to think through everything Gohan had told her, a suddenly question occurred to her.

"Gohan," she said.

"Yes?"

"I just thought of something. If the room was set to 23 times gravity, how'd you manage to come in and turn off the machine? Wouldn't you be crushed just like me?"

A slight smile appeared on Gohan's lips.

"For safety reasons, the artificial gravity shuts off when the door is opened. And it's a good thing too, or else …"

The half-smile vanished and was replaced by a look of pain. He didn't finish, but they both knew what would have happened if Gohan hadn't been able to turn off the gravity in time. That thought hung like a cloud over their heads, darkening their conversation. Wrapped up in their own minds, neither said anything for some time. Each stared off into space as if the other was not there.

"Say, Gohan?" Videl eventually asked in quiet voice, still not looking at him.

"Uh-huh?" he responded in the same way.

"How did you know to come save me?" Somehow, she plucked up the courage to look up at his face.

At first, he did not react to her question, nor did he meet her gaze. She knew he had heard her, but he continued to peer intently into the distance, as if somehow the answer to all the world's mysteries lay in that corner of the small room.

When he finally did look at her, his face was a mixture of emotions. His features bore a steely look that spoke of a determination beyond anything he had showed Videl up to that point. At the same time, though, she could sense something wrong. She saw no happiness behind those hard, black eyes. Peering into those dark chasms, she was overwhelmed by a depressive aura that significantly blackened her own mood.

"That is one of the things I will teach you," he said. His voice was flat, almost monotone.

_What could be wrong with him? _Videl thought. As far as she could tell, there was no reason for him to suddenly be so gloomy.

Gohan suddenly turned and started toward the door.

"I assume you want to see the gravity room for yourself," he said, pausing for a moment before leaving the room.

Stunned as ever by his antics, Videl hesitated slightly, but quickly followed him. Gohan led them back to the same room as before. She now noted that the "GR-01" next to the door must have stood for _Gravity Room 1_. Did that mean there was more than one?

That thought faded, though, as Gohan opened the door and escorted her back inside the room where she had nearly been crushed to death. She saw the familiar white walls and the central controls. She saw the garish red floor she had been up close and personal to during that little debacle. It wasn't exactly a welcome sight, but she couldn't deny that she was curious about what this little room could do when it wasn't suffocating her.

Gohan wasted no time in approaching the controls.

"I'm sure you want to try it out. Do you think you can handle two times gravity?" he asked. His finger hovered above the appropriate button.

Videl was a bit surprised by his new, almost impatient attitude, but quickly turned to the task at hand. She spread her feet into a stable stance.

"Go for it," she replied, steeling herself just in case.

Gohan pressed the button and she again she felt an immediate increase in pressure. The gravity pulled heavily on her, making it noticeably different to stand upright. If she hadn't been prepared, it was quite possible she would have fallen down from the sudden force. But she quickly noted that the weight was not unbearable. She could still breathe, at least. That was good.

"This is incredible," she reflected, lifting her right arm in front of her and clenching her fist as she wondered at how heavy it felt.

She took one tentative step. Then another. Finally, she began walking around the room, moving her body in every way imaginable as she got used to the increased weight. It was a strange feeling for her body to struggle to move the way it was supposed to. She tried a few experimental punches and almost lost her balance from the unexpected momentum. She had to strain to right herself.

Not one to give up, though, she began to move through a bit of her normal warm-up routine. As she began to adjust, she grew more confident in her movements, even as her body quickly began to tire. Twenty seconds in, she was already sweaty and out of breath, and her muscles just couldn't keep up.

Before she left, though, she wanted to test one thing. Coming to a stop, she jumped up as high as she could. She only got a few inches off the ground before she crashed back down to her feet, jarring her legs painfully in the process.

"Owww," she groaned in pain and she looked over to Gohan, who had been watching in silence as she discovered the effects of the gravity machine on her own.

"Enough?" he asked. She nodded in agreement.

As soon as the gravity went back to normal, Videl collapsed to the floor exhaustedly. Lying on her back, facing the ceiling, she remained there for a full minute recovering from her first experienced in increased gravity.

When she felt ready, she sat up and tried to stand. Her arms and legs protested mightily, but eventually she managed to force herself to get up and walk shakily over to Gohan.

"Is that going to be my training?" she asked, excited at the prospect.

"No. That would be impractical," he replied and pulled out a capsule, which was promptly replaced by a heap of what appeared to be some sort of blue fabric.

"Here, put these on," he instructed as he handed her the bundle.

Curious, she looked down at what she was holding. Two thick wrist bands and matching set for her ankles lay atop a bulky undershirt. All of it was made of the same dark blue fabric that felt unlike any other material she knew. It was incredibly soft yet seemed extremely durable at the same time. What was more, as she dutifully slipped on the bands onto her legs and wrists, she was surprised to discover that it was also astonishingly elastic. They stretched over her shoes with no problem at all and snapped back tight against her ankle as if they had been made that way. Whatever these new clothes were, they were definitely something special.

She paused at the shirt, but in short order donned that as well, pulling it over the white shirt she was already wearing. And with that, the ensemble was complete. She felt somewhat silly wearing what she supposed was some sort of strange training gear, but she ignored it and looked to Gohan, who was looking appraisingly at the outfit.

"Good," he said, his voice still unnervingly distant. "How much do you weigh?"

Videl gaped. Did he really just say what she thought he said? Of all the insensitive things… Didn't he know not to ask a girl her weight? Given, she wasn't your run-of-the-mill high school girly-girl who would consider such things of vital importance, but still! She could hardly believe Gohan would be so bold, borderline rude. She almost expected him to apologize for the remark, but one look into his somber eyes assured her that he was dead serious. There would be not moving past this if she didn't answer.

"104 pounds," she told him unwillingly, crossing her arms in embarrassment caused not so much by her weight, but by having to reveal it in a setting like this.

Gohan, not seeming to notice Videl's discomfort, merely nodded and looked down to his hand, where he held a small remote that she had overlooked before. He tinkered with it a bit and soon had made the desired adjustments.

"Okay," he said and inputted the changes.

Videl waited, but nothing seemed any different. She uncrossed her arms to try to move around, and immediately felt the change. Her arms felt slightly heavier, much as they had before under the increased gravity, although to a lesser extent. A quick jog around the room confirmed that the rest of her body was likewise weighed down.

"What did you do?" she asked Gohan curiously.

"I increased the weight of the training clothes you just put on," he answered. "The bands on your arms now weigh four pounds each, the ones on your ankles weigh six pounds, and your shirt weighs 15 pounds for a grand total of 35 pounds, or about a third of your total body weight."

Videl looked at the relatively plain looking pieces of clothing in shock. Just a second ago, their weight had been inconsequential, and now they weighed more than 30 pounds? How was that even possible?

When she voiced this question, Gohan replied, "It's a similar technology to the gravity room, just on a smaller scale."

"Unbelievable." she said in amazement. That was all she _could _say.

Unfazed by her interruption, Gohan continued his explanation:

"From now on, you will wear these weighted clothes every day. You may take them off to shower and to sleep, but otherwise, they are to remain on you at all times, understood?"

She nodded.

"Good. For now, then, we are done."

With that, he turned and marched out the door, and once again Videl was left reeling. She let out a heavy sigh of frustration. This was getting really old. What was wrong with Gohan today? He could at least wait for her to follow him before he just waltzed out the door.

There was nothing to do about it, however, so she reluctantly set out after him, having to run to catch up to the swiftly moving boy. The task was considerably more difficult than she anticipated as she felt the constraints of the weights. By the time she pulled up alongside him, she was already a bit out of breath. He said nothing, however, silently leading her through the winding passages of Capsule Corp and out the same door through which they had initially entered.

If Videl thought that the plane ride home would be any different, she was sorely mistaken. Gohan was loath to say more than a few words to her, and the seating arrangement already made conversation difficult. So, the hour long ride back to Satan City was passed in uncomfortable silence which she did her best to endure by attempting to nap. She was worn out from her second experience with the gravity room and quickly found herself drifting off to sleep despite her earlier encounter with the rejuvenating effects of the healing chamber.

For the second time that day, Videl felt herself slipping away into darkness. This time, though, it was not the menacing grip of death but the welcoming embrace of sleep, and she happily surrendered to its warm advances with no fear.

The world and all its cares disappeared beneath a veil of black.

* * *

**Hi everyone! It's good to be back after so long. Sorry for the long wait, but I've had an interesting couple of weeks and not much time to write. Thank you for being patient.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm not completely satisfied with it, but I don't really know how to fix it and I didn't want to keep you all waiting for even longer. Sorry if it's disappointing! Let me know what _you_ think, though.**


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